HT 

1321 


1762 


A    SHORT 
ACCOUNT' 

Of  that  PART  of 

AFRICA, 

Inhabited  by  the 

NEGROES. 

With  Refpeft  to  the  Fertility  of  the  Country; 
the  good  Difpofition  of  many  of  the  Natives^  and 
the  Manner  by  which  the  SLAVE  TRADE 
is  carried  on. 

Extracted  from  divers  Authors,  in  order  to  fhew 

the  Iniquity  of  that  TRADE,  and  the  faljtty  of  the  ARGU 
MENTS  ufually  advanced  in  its  Vindication. 

With  Quotations  from  the  Writings  of  feveral  Per- 

fonsofNote,  «?.»/».  GEORGE  WALLIS,  FRANCIS  HUTCHE- 
SON,  and  JAMES  FOSTER,  and  a  large Extraft  from  a  Pam 
phlet,  lately  publifhed  in  London,  on  the  Subject  of  the 
SLAVE  TRADE. 

The  Second  EDITION,  with  large  Additions  and  Amendments. 

Do  you  the  neighboring,  blantelefs  Indian  aid  \ 
Culture  what  lie  neglefts,  not  his  invade, 
Dare  not,  Oh  !  dare  not,  \Vith  ambitious  View- 
Force  or  demand  Subjection,  never  due. 

Why  muft  I  Africk's  fable  Children  fee 
Vended  for  Slaves,  tho'  formed  by  Nature  free  ? 
The  namelcfs  Tortures  cruel  Minds  invent, 
Thofe  to  fubjeft  whom    Nature  equal  meant  ? 
If  thefe  you  dare,  altho'  tmjuft  Succefs 
Impow'rs  you  now,  unpunifli'd,  to  opprefs 
Revolving  EMPIRE  you  and  yours  may  doom  ; 
'Rome  all  iubdued,  yetPandals  vanquifh'd  Rome. 

RICHARD   SAVAGE,  on publick  Spirit. 

~P  H  I  L  A  D  E  L  P  H  I  A: 
Printed  by  W.  DUNLAP,  in  the  YEAR   M  DCC  LXIIO 


HTI 


A      S  II  O  R  T 

A     C     C     O     U     N     T 

O  F      T  II  E 


Slave  -  Trade, 


IT  is  a  Truth,  as  forrowful  as  obvious,  that 
Mankind  too  generally  are  aftuated  by  falfe 
Motives,  and  fubflitute  an  imaginary  Intereit 
in  the  Room  of  that  which  is  real  and  per 
manent:  And  it  muft  be  acknowledged  by  every 
Man,  who  is  fmcercly  defirous  of  becoming  ac 
quainted  with  himfelf,  and  impartially  infpeclis  his 
own  Heart,  that  AVeaknefs  and  inbred  Corruption 
attend  human  Nature*,  which  cannot  be  reilored 
to  its  original  Purity,  but  through  the  Efficacy  of 
the  Blood  of  JESUS  CHRIST,  our  bleffed  Saviour. 
So  that  notwithftanding  the  imagined  moral  Rec 
titude  pleaded  for,  aacl  the  boafted  Pretences  of 
the  prefent  Age,  to  refined  Conceptions  of  Things 
beyond  our  Forefathers,  till  this  Divine  Help  is 
embraced,  the  Heart  of  Man  will  remain  corrupt, 
?>nd  its  Power  of  cliilinguifliing  between  Good  and 
Evil  will  ftill  be  obfcured  by  Prejudice,  Paflion  and 
Intereft.  Covetoufnefs  and  Pride  have  introduced 
many  iniquitous  Practices  into  civil  Society,  which 

tho' 

?3587 


[     4     ]' 

tho'  odious  in  themfelves,  and  mofl  pernicious  in 
their  Coniequences,  yet  being  calculated  to  gratify 
our  favorite  Paflions,  have  been  adopted  thro'  Cuf- 
tom,  and  enforced  fo  ftrongly  by  Example,  as  to 
become  familiar  to  us-,  fo  that  by  Degrees  we  fi- 
lence  the  Dictates  of  Confcience,  and  reconcile  our- 
felves  to  fuch  Things  as  would,  when  firfl  propofed 
to  our  unprejudiced  Minds  have  (truck  us  with 
Amazement  and  Horror, 

A  lamentable  and  fhocWtog  Inftance  of  the  In 
fluence  which  the  Love  of  Gain  has  upon  the 
Minds  of  thofe  who  yield  to  its  Allurements,  even 
when  contrary  to  the  Dictates  of  Reafon,  and  the 
common  Feelings  of  Humanity,  appears  in  the 
Profecution  of  the  Negroe  'Trade,  in  which  the  En- 
glijh  Nation  has  long  been  deeply  concerned,  and 
ibme  in  this  Province  have  lately  engaged.  An 
Evil  of  fo  deep  a  Dye,  and  attended  with  fuch 
dreadful  Confequences,  that  no  well-difpofed  Per- 
iba  (anxious  for  the  Welfare  of  himfelf,  his  Coun 
try,  or  Poflerity)  who  knows  the  Tyranny,  Op.. 
preflion  and  Cruelty  with  which  this  iniquitous 
Trade  is  carried  on,  can  be  a  filent  and  innocent 
Spectator.  How  many  Thoufands  of  our  harm- 
lefs  Fellow  Creatures  have,  for  a  long  Courfe  of 
Years,  fallen  a  Sacrifice  to  that  felfim  Avarice, 
which  gives  Life  to  this  complicated  Wickednefs. 
The  Iniquity  of  being  engaged  in  a  Trade,  by 
which  fo  great  a  Number  of  innocent  People  are 
yearly  deltroyed,  in  an  untimely  and  miferable 
Manner,  is  greatly  aggravated  from  the  Confide- 
ration  that  we,  as  a  People,  have  been  peculiarly 
favoured  with  the  Light  of  the  Golpel  •,  that  Re- 
ydation  of  Divine  Love,  which  the  Angels  intro 
duced  to  the  World,  by  a  Declaration  cf  Peace  on 

Earth, 


[     5     1 

y  find  Good  Will  to  Men- — of  every  Nation, 
Kindred^  Tongue  and  People.  How  miferable  mufi 
be  our  Condition,  if,  for  filthy  Lucre,  we  mould 
continue  to  act  fo  contrary  to  the  Nature  of  this 
Divine  Call,  the  Purpofe  of  which  is  to  introduce 
an  univerial  and  affectionate  Brotherhood  in  the 
whole  human  Species-,  by  removing  from  the 
Heart  of  every  Individual,  who  fubmits  to  its  Ope 
ration,  the  Darknefs  and  Corruption  of  Nature, 
and  transforming  the  felnfh,  wrathful,  proud  Spi 
rit,  into  Meeknefs,  Pqrity  and  Love:  For  this 
End  the  Son  of  GOD  became  Man,  'lurFered,  and 
died  i  and  the  whole  Tenor  of  the  Gofpel  declares, 
that  for  thofe  who  refufe,  or  neglect  the  Offers 
of  this  great  Salvation,  the  Son  of  GOD  has  fuffered 
in  vain. 

The  End  propofed  by  this  EfTay,  is  to  lay  before 
the  candid  Reader  the  Depth  of  Evil  attending 
this  iniquitous  Practice,  in  the  Profecution  of 
which,  our  Duty  to  GOD,  the  common  Father  of 
the  Family  of  the  whole  Earth,  and  our  Duty  of 
Love  to  our  Fellow  Creatures,  is  totally  ditregard- 
ed  •,  all  focial  Connection  and  tender  T^ies  of  Na 
ture  being  broken,  Defblation  and  Blqcdlhed  con 
tinually  fomented  in  thofe  unhappy  People's  Coun-* 
try.  It  is  alfo  intended  to  invalidate  the  falle  Ar 
guments,  which  are  frequently  advanced,  for  the 
Palliation  of  this  Trade,  'in  Hopes  it  "may  be  fome 
Inducement  to  thofe  who  are  not  defiled  therewith 
to  keep  themfelves  clear;  and  to  lay  before  fuch  as 
have  unwarily  engaged  in  it,  their  Danger  of  total 
ly  lofing  that  tender  Senfibility  to  the  Sufferings  of 
their  Fellow  Creatures,  the  Want  whereof  fets 
Men  beneath  the  Brute  Creation:  A  Trade  by 
which  many  Thoufands  of  innocent  People  are 

brought 


brought  under  the  greateft  Anxiety  and  Suffering, 
by  being  violently  rent  from  their  Native  Country, 
in  the  moft  cruel  Manner,  and  brought  to  our  Co 
lonies,  to  be  employed  in  hard  Labour,    in  Cli 
mates,  unfuited  to  their  Nature,  or  in    a  State  ef 
the  mbft  abjecl:  and  barbarous  Slavery,  fubject  to 
the   Humours  and  inhuman  Lam  of  fome  of  the 
moft  hard  hearted  and  inconfiderate  of  Mankind, 
without  any  Hopes  of  ever  returning  to  their  Na 
tive  Land,  or  feeing  an  End  to  their  Mifery :  Nor 
muft  we  omit,  in  thh  difmai  Account,*  the  Weight 
of  Blood  which  lies  on  the  Promoters  of  this  Trade, 
from  the  great  Numbers  that  are  yearly  butchered 
in   the   Incurfions  and  Battles  which  happen  be 
tween  the  Negroes,  in  order  to  procure  the  Num 
ber  delivered  to  the   Europeans-,  and  the  many  of 
thefe  poor  Creatures  whbfe  Hearts  are  broken,  and 
they  perifh  through  Mifery  and  Grief,  on  the  Paf- 
fage.      May  the   Almighty  preferve    the  Inhabi 
tants  of  Pennfyhania  from  being  further  defiled  by 
a  Trade,  which  is  entered  upon  from  fuch  fenfuai 
Motives,  and  carried  on  by  fuch  devilifh  Means. 

Perfons  whofe  Minds  are  engroffed  by  the  Plea- 
fures  and  Profits  of  this  Life,  are  generally  fo  taken 
*up  with  prefent  Objects,  that  they  are  but  little  af- 
fe&ed  with  the  diftant  Sufferings  of  their  Fellow 
Creatures,  efpecially  when  their  Wealth  is  thereby 
increafed.  Neverthelefs  every  one  who  is  in  any 
refpect  concerned  in  this  wicked  Trafiqne,  if  not  io 
hardned  by  the  Love  of  Wealth,  as  to  be  void  of 
Feeling,  muft  upon  a  ferious  Recollection,  be  im- 
jprefied  with  Surprize  and  Terror,  from  a  Senfe  that 
there  is  a  righteous  GOD,  and  a  State  of  Retributi 
on  which  will  laft  for  ever.  It  is  frequently  al- 
ledged,  in  cxcufe  for  this  Trade,  that  the  Negroes 

fold 


t  t  1 

fold  in  our  Plantations,  are  moftly  Perfons  who 
have  been  taken  Prifoners  in  thole  Wars  which  arife 
amongft  themfelves,  from  their  mutual  Animofi- 
ties ;  and  that  thefe  Prifoners  would  be  facrificed  to 
the  Refentment  of  thofe  who  have  taken  them  Cap 
tive,  if  they  were  not  purchafed  and  brought  away 
by  the  Europeans.  It  is  alfo  reprefented,  that  the 
Negroes  are  generally  a  ftupid,  favage  People, 
whofe  Situation  in  their  own  Country  is  necefiitous 
and  unhappy,  which  has  induced  many  to  believe, 
that  the  bringing  them  from  their  Native  Land 
is  rather  a  Kindnefs  than  an  Injury. 

To  confute  thefe  falfe  Reprefentations,  the  fol 
lowing  Extracts  are  propofed  to  the  candid  Read 
er's  Confideration  •,  they  are  taken  from  the  Wri 
tings  of  the  principal  Officers,  not  only  in  the  En- 
,  gli/b,  butintheFr^r^and  D#/<:£  Fadtories,  or  Settle 
ments  in  Guiney?  fome  of  whom  have  lived  many 
Years  in  thofe  Countries,  and  have  been  Eye-witnef- 
les  to  the  Tranfactions  they  relate.  By  which  it  will 
appear,  that  the  Negroes  are  generally  afenfible  hu 
mane  and  fociable  People,  and  that  their  Capacity 
is  as  good,  and  as  capable  of  Improvement  as  that 
of  the  WHITES.  That  their  Country,  though  un 
friendly  to  the  Europeans )  yet  appears  peculiarly 
agreeable,  and  well  adapted  to  the  Nature  of  the 
Blacks^  and  fo  fruitful  as  to  furnifh  its  Inhabitants 
plentifully  with  the  Neceffaries  of  Life,  with  much 
lefs  Labour  than  in  our  more  northern  Climates. 

And  as  to  the  common  Arguments  alledged  in 
Defence  of  the  Trade,  viz.  That  the  Slaves  fold 
to  the  Europeans  are  Captives  taken  in  War,  who 
would  be  deftroyed  by  their  Conquerors  if  not  thus 
purchafed ;  it  is  without  Foundation :  For  altho1 
there  were  doubtlefs  Wars  amongft  the  Negroes 

before 


before  the  Europeans  began  to  trade  with  them,  ycr 
certain  it  is,  that  fmce  that  Time,  thofe  Calamities 
Jiave  prodigioufly  encreafed,  which  is  principally 
owing  to  the  Solicitations  of  the  white  People, 
who  have  mitigated  the  poor  Africans  by  every 
Method,  even  the  mod  iniquitous  and  cruel,  to 
procure  Slaves  to  load  their  Vefiels,  which  they 
freely  and  gladly  purchafe  without  any  Regard  to 
the  Precepts  of  the  Gofpel;  the  Feelings  of  Hu 
manity,  or  the  common  Di6tates  of  Reaibn  and 
Equity. 

This  plainly  appears  from  the  Account  given  by 
Andrew  Brue^  General  Director  of  the  French  Fac 
tory  at  Senagal^  who  ti  avelled  much  on  and  about  the 
t  wo  great  Rivers  of  Senagal,  andGambia.  In  Aftlefs 
Colle&ion  of  Voyages,  he  is  fpoken  of  as  a  Perlbri 
of  Judgment^  and  one  who  had  had  fufficient  Op 
portunities  by  his  long  Refidence  *  there,  of  gain 
ing  a  thorough  Knowledge  of  the  Manners,  Cu£- 
toms  and  Diipofttions  of  the  People  inhabiting  the 
Country,  for  about  four1  hundred  Miles  along  the 
Coaft,  extending  on  each  Side  the  before  mentio 
ned  Rivers.  Speaking  of  the  Papel  Negroes  -f 
(amongft  whom  he  was  then  endeavouring  to  erect 
aFa&ory)  he  lays  "  They  are  at  continual  Wars 
"  with  their  Neighbours,  whom  they  invade  as 

"  often  as  they  think  it  for  their  Advantage « 

"  Thde    Wars  of  theirs  are   never  long, 

"  generally 

*  The  Time  of  Bru^s  abode  in  Guinea  cannot  be  nfiertained,  as 
he  appears  lo  have  gone  b:u-k\r.ircts  and  forwards  to  France  feveral 
Times.  When  he  rm»rm-Hl  the  ffcond  Time,  he  had  lived  eleven 
Years  in  Africa  ;  and  by  ionic  Writ  njjs  he  appears  to  have  been  r.t 
Senagttl  maay  Years  after.  TJ\ro'  ivliftake  in  the  former  Edition 
the  1'ime  was  fixed  to  twenty-fix  Years. 

f  Thefe  Papel  Nggrots  inlv.bit  about  the  River  St.  Domingo", 
the  Ifiand  Bij/aQ,  &V.  iVom  whence  the  Europeans _  have  brought 
great  Number  cr"  Slaves. 


[     9    ] 

"  generally  fpeaking,  they  are  Incurfions  or  Ex^ 
4d  peditions  of  five  or  fix  Days.     He  adds." 

"  The  Europeans  are  far  from  defiring  to 
"  acl  as  Peace-Makers  among/I  them,  i.  e.  (the 
<e  Negroes )  which  'would  be  contrary  to  their 
"  Inter  eft,  fince  the  greater  the  Wars  arey  the 
"  more  Slaves, 


William  Bofman,  Factor  for  the  Dutck,  at  Delmi~ 
ha,  where  he  refided  fixteen  Years,  relates,  "  That 
"  one  of  the  former  Commanders  hired  an  Army 
"  of  the  Negroes,  of  Jafferia  and  Cabefleria,  for  a 
u  large  Sum  of  Money,  to  fight  the  Negroes  of 
"c  Commany,  which  occafioned  a  Battle,  which  was 
"  more  bloody  than  the  Wars  of  the  Negress  ufu- 
*fc  ally  are :  And  that  another  Commander  gave,  at 
"  one  Time,  Five  Hundred  Pounds,  and  at  another 
"  Time  Eight  Hundred  Pounds,  to  two  other  Negroe 
46  Nations,  to  induce  them  to  take  up  Arms  againfl 
"  their  Country  People."  This  is  confirmed  by 
Barbot,  Agent  General  of  the  French  African  Com 
pany,  who  fays-,  "  The  Hollanders,  a  People  very 
"  zealous  for  their  Commerce  at  the  Coafb,  were 
"  very  ftudious  to  have  the  War  carried  on 
u  amongft  the  Blacks,  to  diflract,  as  long  as  pof- 
*'  fible,  the  Trade  of  the  other  Europeans ;  and  to 
<c  that  EfFcd  were  very  ready  to  afllft  upon  all  Oc- 

B  "  cafions, 


•"  cafions,  the  Blacks,  their  Allies,  that  they  might 
t(f  beat  their  Enemies,  and  fo  the  Commerce  fall 
44  into  their  Hands."  But  nothing  {hews  more 
plainly,  that  the  Europeans  are  the  chief  Inftru- 
ments  in  inciting  the  Negroes  to  the  Perpetration 
of  thofe  unnatural  Wars,  by  which  they  are  kept 
in  continual  Alarms,  their  Country  laid  wafte,  and 
fuch  great  Numbers  carried  into  Captivity,  than 
the  Account  given  by  William  Smith^  who  was  fent 
by  the  African  Company  to  vifit  their  Settlements, 
in  the  Year  1726,  from  the  Information  he  receiv 
ed  of  one  of  the  Factors,  who  had  refided  ten  Years 
in  that  Country,  viz.  "  That  the  difcerning  Na- 
"  tives  account  it  their  greateil  Unhappineis  that 
c<  they  were  ever  vifited  by  the  Europeans:— — That 
"  we  Chriftians  introduced  the  Traffick  of  Slaves^ 
"  and  that  before  our  coming  they  lived  in  Peace  •, 
*'  but,  fay  they,  it  is  obfervable,  that  wherever 
"  Chriflianity  comes,  there  comes  with  it  a  Sword, 
"  a  Gun,  Powder  and  Bah1." 

This  is  farther  confirmed  by  two  Occurrences 
related  by  Andrew  Brae,  the  Director  at  Senegal? 
before  mentioned  :  The  firft  at  Page  30.  viz.  That 
having  acquainted  the  King  he  was  ready  to-  trade 
with  him,  if  he  had  a  fufficient  quantity  of  Slaves  -y 
the  King  procured  three  Hundred  Slaves ',  but 
v.*  an  ting  Goods  to  double  the  Value  of  what  the 
Company  would  allow  for  thofe  Slaves,  and  they  re- 
fufmg  to  trufl  him,  as  he  was  already  in  their  Debt; 
the  D-iredte-r  propofed  having  a  Licence  for  feizing 
upon  fo  many  of  his  People  as  would  pay  for  what 
more  Goods  he  wanted,  but  this  the  King  refufed 
to  confent  to,  faying  it  might  occafion  a  Diitur- 
bance  amongft  his  Subjects  •,  and  fo  was  forced, 
fays  the  duttory  to  want  the  Goods  he  defired  for 

that 


r  ii  ] 

that  Time;  which  Diiappointment  put  the  King 
greatly  out  of  Humour.  The  fecond  Occurrence 
is  mentioned  at  Page  150,  vrz.  The  Director  re 
ceived  Complaints  of  ttie  continual  Infults  the 
Company's  Servants  futfered  at  Fort  St.  Jefepb, 
from  one  Babel  the  King's  Alkair,  *  by  forbidding 
the  Trade,  in  order  to  oblige  the  Factor  to  pay  the 
King  as  high  Duties  as  thofe  paid  to  the  neighbour 
ing  King,  or  to  force  the  French  to  quit  the  Coun 
try.  Upon  this  Complaint,  the  general  Director 
Brue,  fent  Orders  to  tne  Commander  of  that  Fort, 
to  provide  the  Place  with  proper  NeceiTaries  for  its 
Defence,  and  then  to  punifh  Bable  rigorouily,  not 
only  by  burning  his  Village,  but  alib  by  feizing 
himfelf,  Wives  and  Children,  if  he  found  Oppor 
tunity. 

Thus  the  Matter  remained  for  fome  Time, 
when  the  Author  fays,  the  Negroes  recommenced 
their  Ill-ufage  to  the  French,  which  went  fo  far, 
that  a  Factor  was  murdered:  Upon  which,  the 
Commander  having  affembled  all  his  Forces,  at 
tacked  the  Village,  which  he  plundered  and  burnt; 
killed  near  fixty  of  the  Negroes,  who  had  taken  up 
Arms,  wounded  double  the  Number,  carried  off 
all  the  Cattle,  and  made  four  Hundred  Slaves. 
The  Author  adds,  "  So  fevcre  and  fealbnable  a 
"  Punifhment,  threw  a  Terror  on  all  the  Country, 
"  and  obliged  the  King  and  his  Bakerris  to  fue  for 
"  Mercy.?> 

The  Commander  fuffered  himfelf  to  be  long  inr 
treated  before  he  would  grant  them  Peace,  and  in 
the  mean  Time  fent  down  his  Slaves  and  Booty 
by  the  Barks  to  Fort  St.  Louis.  Little  need  be 
faid  to  mew  the  unjuil  and  barbarous  Conduct  of 
the  French  Officers  in  thefe  Tranfactions,  the  Trutl* 

of 
*  The  Governor  of  the  Village. 


[       12       ] 

of  which  cannot  be  queftioned,  as  they  are  taken 
from  the  Relation  given  by  Brue  himfelf.  In  the 
firft  Inftance,  the  Head  of  a  Chriftian  Faftory  en 
deavours  to  perfuade  a  Heathen  King  to  break 
thro'  every  facred  and  human  Tie-,  which  mews, 
that  fo  he  could  but  procure  Slaves,  he  was  quite 
indifferent  as  to  the  Means,  be  they  ever  fo  crimi 
nal.  And  in  the  fecond,  this  Chriftian  Factor 
himfelf  mews  the  greateft  Difregard  to  the  Right  of 
Mankind,  and  the  Feelings  of  Humanity,  on  fo 
flight  a  Pretence  as  the  Demand  of  Duties,  by  his 
own  Confeffion,  no  greater  than  they  paid  elfe- 
where;  gives  to  his  Officers  the  mod  cruel  and  un- 
reafonable  Orders,  which  on  the  Death  of  a  Factor 
(which  might  be  occafioned  by  his  own  Rafhnefs 
or  Imprudence)  are  executed  with  the  utmofb  Se 
verity.  And  what  makes  if  look  likely,  that  pro 
curing  a  Number  of  Slaves  was  his  chief  Motive, 
is,  that  after  this  Treatment  the  .Officer  gives  no 
Ear  to  their  Intreaties  for  Peace,  till  he  has  fent  off 
the  Booty  of  four  Hundred  Slaves  he  had  made  in 
the  Encounter.  But  fuppoling  the  Negrqe  Officer 
to  have  been  to  blame,  what  had  the  common 
People  done  to  be  thus  cruelly  butchered  and 
dragged  into  Captivity.  What  an  Example  was 
this  to  be  given  from  Chriflians  to  Heathens. 
Could  any  Thing  be  more  likely  to  confirm  the 
Negroes  in  the  deteftable  Praftice  of  enflaving  their 
unhappy  Countrymen. 

As  to  the  Account  of  the  natural  Difpofition  of 
many  of  the  Negroes,  and  of  the  Fruitful nefe  of 
their  Country,  the  forementioned  Authors,  as  well 
as  many  others,  have  wrote  largely  upon  it.  M. 
Adanfon,  in  his  Account  of  the  Country  and  Na- 
-  viGoree^  where  he  was  fo  lately  as  the  Year 


[     -3     J 

1754,  after  giving  an  Account  of  the  delightful 
AlpecT:  of  the  Country,  fays;  "  The  Simplicity  of 
."  the  Natives,  their  Dreis  and  Manners,  revived 
"  in  my  Mind  the  Idea  of  our  firft  Parents;  and  I 
*  ieemed  to  contemplate  the  World  in  its  primitive 

•"  State; they  (the  Negroes)  are  generally  fpeak- 

"  ing,  very  good  natured,  fociable  and  obliging. 
^  I  was  not  a  little  pleafed  (fays  he)  with  this  my 

"  firfb  Reception ; it  convinced  me,  that  there 

"  ought  to  be  a  confiderable  Abatement  made  in 
"  the  Accounts  I  had  read  and  heard  every  where 

"  of  the  favage  Character  of  the  Africans. 1  ob- 

"  ferved,  both  in  Negroes  and  Moors,  great  Hu- 
"  inanity  and  Sociablenefs,  which  gave  me  ilrong 
y  Hopes  that  I  fhould  be  very  fafe  amongft  them, 
"  and  meet  with  the  Succefs  I  defired  in  my  En- 
"  quiries  after  rhe  Curiofities  of  the  Country." 

Bofman,  fpeaking  of  the  Negroes  of  that  Part  of 
Guiney  where  he  then  was,  fays;  "  They  are  gene- 
"  rally  a  good  Sort  of  People,  honeft  in  their  Deal- 
"  ings;  Others  he  deicribes  as  being  generally 
."  friendly  to  Strangers,  of  a  mild  Converfation, 
"  courteous,  affable,  and  eafy-to  be  overcome 
<c  with  Reafon;  in  Converfation  they  difcover  a 
"  great  Quickneis  of  Parts  and  Underftan-ding.  •' 
He  adds,  w  That  fome  Negroes,  who  have  had -an 
"  agreeable  Education,  have  manifefted  a  Brigiu- 
"  nefs  of  Underflanding  equal  to  any  of  us." 

William  Smittfs  Account  of  the  Natives  is,  That 
"  he  found  them  a  civil  good  natured  People,  in- 
"  duftrious  to  the  lad  Degree,  and  their  Country 

"  exceeding  fertile. It  is  eafy  (fays  he)  to 

"  perceive  what  happy  Memoirs  they  are  bleffed 
"  with,  and  how  great  Progrds  they  would  make 
"  in  the  Sciences,  in  Cafe  their  Qenius  was  culti- 

"  vated 


[     H     1 

**  vated  with  Study:  They  explain  themfelves  lit 
*c  choice  Terms,  their  Exprefiions  noble,  and 
"  Manners  polite;— —-this  (he  adds)  is  to  be  un- 
"  derilood  of  the  People  of  Diftindtion,  as  Officers, 
*c  Merchantmen,  and  the  like-,  for  Peafants, 
"  Workmen  and  Shepherds,  are  as  ignorant  in 
-*'  thefe  Parts  as  elfewhere." 

Barbot  lays,  "  The  Inhabitants  of  Oedo  are,  for 
<c  the  Generality,  very  civil,  good  natured  People, 
*'  eafy  to  be  dealt  with,  condescending  towhat'the 
<c  Europeans  require  of  them,  in  a  civil  Way;  but 
"  if  treated  with  Haughtinefs  and  rudely,  they 
6C  are  fbiff  and  high,  and  will  not  yield  on  any 
"  Account.'* 

A.  Brue,  {peaking  of  the  People  of  Benin,  fays, 
"  They  are  generally  good  natured  and  civil,  and. 
<c  may  be  brought  to  any  Thing  by  fair  and  foft 
"  Means.  If  you  make  then)  Prefents,  they  will 
<c  recompenfe  them  double.  If  you  want  any 
"  Thing  of  them,  and  adc  it,  they  feldom  deny  it, 
"  even  tho*  they  had  Occafion  for  it  themfelves : 
'c  But  to  treat  them  harfhly,  or  think  to  gain  any 
"  Thing  of  them  by  Force,  is  to  difputc  with  the 
*c  Moon."  Artus,  fpeaking  of  the  fame  People, 
fays,  "  They  are  a  finccre  inoffenfive  People,  and 
"  do  no  Unjuilice  either  to  one  another  or  Strang- 
"  ers.  He  adds,  that  it  is  a  capital  Crime  there  to 
"  injure  a  Foreigner,  which  is  leverely  punillied. 

In  the  Collection  of  Voyages,  we  are  told, 
"  1  hat  fome  Writers  have  reprefented  the  Natives 
"  of  Cape  Mejurtjfay  as  faithlefs  and  cruel  •,  but  it 
cc  is  very  likely  this  Representation  of  their  Difpo- 
cc  /itions  was  occafioned  by  the  Reientment  they 
"  had  fhcwn  for  the  Ill-ufage  received  from  the 
•**  Eurcfeans;  for  Capt. 'Philip s  declared  them  to  be 

civil 


[     15    1 

**  civil  and  courteous".  And  Snoek  fays,  "  He 
"  found  them  a  civil  good  natured  People-,  but 
"  that  the  late  Injury  they  had  received  from  the 
"  Englijh)  who  had  carried  off  fome  of  their  Feo- 
"  pie,  *  had  fo  exafperated  them,  that  it  was  to 
"  be  feared  fome  Englifh  they  had  in  their  Power, 
"  would  fall  a  Sacrifice  to  their  Refentment. 

Altho'  the  extream  Heat  in  many  Parts  of  Gut' 
nea,  is  fuch,  as  is  neither  agreeable  nor  healthy  to 
the  Europeans,  yet  it  is  well  fuited  to  the  Conftitu-s 

tion 

*  It  is  thefe  Abufes  which  the  Africans  have  fo  often 
differed  from  the  Europeans ;  that  have  given  Rife  to  the  fre* 
quent  Contradictions  we  meet  with  in  Authors,  with  refpeft  to 
the  Temper  and  Difpofidon  of  the  Negroes;  one  Author 
fpeaking  well  of  fome  Nations,  whilft  another  Author  repre- 
fents  the  fame  Nation  as  barbarous  and  favage.  And,  indeed, 
when  it  is  confidered  how  often  the  Europeans  have  m oft  grie-» 
voufly  provoked  them,  by  treacherouily  carrying  away  fome 
of  their  Country-men,  Friends  or  Relations.  It  is  not  to  be 
wondered  that  fome  Negroe  Nations  mould  have  appear'd  fired 
with  Anger  and  Refentment,  againft  thofe  who  have  done 
them  Injuries  of  fo  affecting  a  Nature.  In  the  Collection  of 
Voyages  it  is  faid,  *'  The  frequent  Injuries  done  to  the  £>ua 
Qua  Negroes  by  the  Europeans,  in  carrying  fome  off,  have 
made  them  extremely  my  and  fufpicious.  The  Ship  in 
which  Capt.  Smith  went  on  the  Coaft,  often  lay  before  the 
Town,  and  fired  a  Gun  for  the  Blacks  t®  come  off,  but  not 
a  Soul  came  near  them.  At  length  they  were  informed  the 
Natives  feldom  ventured  on  board  an  Englijh  Ship,  for  fear 
of  being  carried  away.  After  this  Intelligence  they  ftiewed 
nothing  but  French  Colours,  by  which  Means  the  Native* 
were  brought  to  trade  with  them.  Smith  gives  thefe  JW- 
groes  a  bad  Character;  but  in  the  Collection  of  Voyages  it 
is  faid  that  other  Authors  agree,  that  altho*  they  are  in  Ap 
pearance  the  moft  barbarous  of  all  Guinea,  yet  are  they,  in 
the  Main,  polite  and  rational,  and  fo  reputed  among 
their  Neighbours." 
Marchais  fays,  "  They  appear  rude  and  favage,  but  on 
ft  dealing  with  them,  you  find  them  a  good  Sort  of  People, 
•«  frank,  civil,  and  the  fairelt  Traders  on  the  Coaft." — 


[     i6     ] 

tion  6f  the  Negroes:  And  it  is  to  thofe  Heats  that 
they  are  indebted  for  the  Fertility  of  their  Land, 
which  in  mod  Places  is  fo  great,  that  with  little 
Labour  Grain  and  Fruit  will'  grow  in  the  greaterl 
Plenty. 

Andrew  Bfue,  fpe  akin  g  of  the  great  River  Sena- 
gal,  which  runs  many  Hundred  Miles  within  Land, 
fays,  "  The  farther  you  go  from  the  Sea,  the 
"  Country  on  the  River  feems  more  fruitful,  and 
*c  well  improved.  It  abounds  in  Indian  Corn, 

*'  which  is  a  never  failing  Commodity  here 

"  The  I  (land  of  Bifefha,  which  is  formed  by  an 
"  Arm  of  that  River,  abounds  in  Indian  and  Gui- 
"  nea  Corn,  Rice,  Pulfe,  Tobacco  and  lndigo:. 
"  Wheat  thrives  well  after  the  fecond  Crop.  Cot-* 

"  ton-trees  in  plenty Here  are  vail  Meadows,- 

u  which  feed  large  Herds  of  great  and  fmall  Cat- 

"  tie Poultry  are  numerous,  as  well  as  wild 

"  Fowl."  Yet  it  fometimes  happen  that  there  is 
great  fcarcity  in  particular  Places,  arifmg  from  the 
improvident  Difpofition  of  fome  of  the  Negroes^ 
who  have  little  thought  of  making  any  Provifion 
but  from  one  Harveft  to  another,  fo  that  they  are 
liable  to  fuffer  when  that  fails,  or  when  the  Locuft 
devour  the  Produce  -,  thefe  Infedts  fometimes  come 
in  fuch  Swarms  as  to  darken  the  Air,  and  deftroy 
every  green  Thing  that  lays  in  their  Way. 

The  fame  Author,  in  his  Travels  to  the  South  of 
the  River  Gambia,  expreffes  his  Surprife  to  fee 
"  The  Land  fo  well  cultivated,  as  he  obferved  it 
"  to  be-,  fcarce  a  Spot  lay  unimproved,  the  low 
"  Ground  divided  by  fmall  Canals,  were  all  fowed: 
"  with  Rice-,  the  higher  Ground  planted  with  In- 
<c  dicn  Corn  and  Millet,  and  Peafe  of  different 

"  Sorts. 


r  <7  i 

cc  Sorts.  Beef  and  Mutton  very  cheap,  as  well  as 
c<  all  other  Neceflaries  of  Life. 

Eofman  fays,  "  The  Indian  and  Guinea  Corn  is 
"  here  fown  and  reaped  twice  every  Year;  the  firit 
cc  Harvefl  is  in  Auguft,  and  the  other  the  latter 
"  End  of  the  Year,  though  but  fmall;  Corn 
"  grows  with  little  Trouble,  very  fpeedily  taking 
"  Root.  Indian  Corn  grows  in  the  upper  Lands, 
"  in  prodigious  Quantities,  and  where  Corn  won't 
"  grow,  there  Rice  increafes  in  Abundance,  and 
*c  Yamms  and  Potatoes  are  in  the  greateft  Plenty." 

Speaking  of  the  Kingdom  of  Fida,  he  fays, 
"  The  Country  was  very  populous,  many  large 
*c  Villages,  befides  innumerable  fmall  Ones, 
<c  through  the  whole  Country,  plentifully  provid- 
"  ed  with  Corn,  Potatoes  and  Fruit,  which  grew 
u  clofe  to  each  other;  in  fome  Places  a  Foot-path 
"  is  the  only  Ground  that  is  not  covered  with 
u  them,  the  Negroes  leaving  no  Place,  which  is 
"  thought  fertile,  uncultivated,  even  within  the 
**  Hedges  which  inclofe  their  Villages :  And  the 
"  very  next  Day  after  they  have  reaped  they  are 
*c  fure  to  fow  again."  This  fine  Country  is  now 
very  much  depopulated,  which,  it  is  likely, 
was  owing  to  the  Incurfions  made  upon  them 
by  their  Neighbours,  in  order  to  get  Slaves  to 
fell  to  the  Europeans.  For  the  fame  Bofman,  fpeak- 
ing  of  the  neighbouring  Nation  of  Pope,  fays ; 
"  They  depend  on  Plunder  and  the  S!av€-<TradeJ 
"  in  which  they  exceed  fome  of  their  Neigh- 
"  bours." 

Other  Parts  of  the  Country  he  defcribes,  as 
"  being  full  of  Towns  and  Villages ;  the  Soil  ve~ 
<c  ry  rich,  and  fo  well  cultivated,  as  to  look  like 
^  an  entire  Garden,  abounding  in  Rice,  Corn, 

€  "  Oxen, 


".  Oxen,  Goats  and  Poultry;  and  the  Negroes  to 
"  be  laborious." 

W.  Smith  gives  much  the  fame  Account  of  the 
Country  of  Delmma,  and  Cape  Corfe,  &c.  for  Beau 
ty  and  Goodnefs-,  and  adds,  cc  The  more  you 
tc  come  downward  towards  that  Part  called  the 
"  Slave-Ccaft,  the  more  delightful  and  rich  the 
4t  Soil  appears." 

Barb  at  fays,.  "  The  Inland  People  employ  them-' 
"  felves  in  Tillage  and  Trade,,  and  lupply  the 
"  Markets  with  Corn,  Fruit  and  Palm  Wine-,  the 
"  Country  producing  fuch  vaft  Plenty  of  Indian 
"  Wheat,  that  Abundance  is  daily  exported,  as 
"  well  by  Europeans  as  Blacks ,  reforting  theither 
"  from  other  Parts."  He  adds,  "  That  the 
"  Country  of  Delmina,  (which  was  formerly  very 
"  powerful  and  populous,  though  now  fo  much 
"  drained  of  its  Inhabitants,  by  the  inteftine  Wars 
"  fomented  amongft  the  Negro.es  by  the  Dutch  y 
*•*  that  there  does  not  remain  enough  Inhabitants 
cc  to  till  the.  Country  j)  abounded  with  fine  well- 
*-  built  and  populous  Towns,  enriched  with  vaft 
"  Fields  of  Corn,  Cattle,  Palm  Wine  and  Oil. 
c<  The  Inhabitants  all  applying  themfelves,  with- 
cc  out  Didinclion,  to  Agriculture,  lowing  Corn^ 
cc  prefling  Oily  and  drawing  Wine  from  Palm 
cc  Trees,  with  both  of  which  it  is  plentifully  ftor- 
"  eel-,  others  to  fiihing,  and  boiling  Salt,  and 
"  other  Trades,  on  their  own  _  Account,,  or  as 
"  Brokers  for  the  Inland  Blach" 

Many  more  Accounts  could  be  given  of  the 
good  Difpofition  of  the  Generality  of  the  Negroes^ 
and  of  the  Plenty  their  Country  affords ;  but  the 
Foregoing  are  fufficient  to  mew  them  to  be  entirely 
different  from  the  ftupified  and  malicious  People. 

fomc 


[     '9     3 

fome  would  have  them  thought  to  be.  They  havi 
Judgment  and  Induftry  fufficient  to  cultivate  their 
Country,  which  in  rnoft  Parts  abounds  in  the  Ne- 
cefTaries  of  Life,  and  are  Ib  far  from  being  nncapa- 
ble  of  Society,  that  they  are  generally  a  kind  and 
well  dilpofed  People.  Neither  are  they  to  be  dii- 
pifed,  with  refpecl  to  th«  Manner  in  which  Juftice 
is  adminiftred,  in  feveral  of  ths  Negro  Govern 
ments,  which  from  the  Accounts  given  by  divers 
Authors,  appears  to  be  done  with  ib  much  Equity 
and  Difpatch,  as  might  well  be  worthy  the  Imita 
tion  of  fome  more  civilized  People. 

Collec.  Page  259,  LJ  Mairc,  fpeaking  of  the 
Government  of  the  Jalofs  (whole  Country  is  of'a 
large  extent)  fays,  "  The  King  has  under  him  ie- 
"  veral  Minifters  of  State,  who  aiTift  him  in  the 
*'  Government  and  Exercife  of  Juftice.  The 
44  grand  Jerafo  is  the  chief  Juftice  thro'  all  the 
44  King's  Dominion,  and  goes  his  Circuit  from 
*4  Time  to  Time  to  hear  Complaints  and  determine 
44  Controverfies.  The  King's  Treafurcr  exercifes 
44  the  fame  Employ,  but  with  a  more  limited  Pow- 
"  er,  and  has  under  him  Alkairs,  who  are  Gover- 
44  nors  of  Towns  or  Villages. —Barbot  con 
firms  the  above  Account,  and  adds,  "  That  the 
*4  chief  Juftice  infpecls  the  Behaviour  of  the  Al- 
44  kairs  of  the  feveral  Diftricts. 

Vafconfelas,  quoted  by  Barbot,  fays,  4C  That  the 
*'  Negroes  on  thii  Coaft,  much  excel  the  Senegas  in 
4C  their  civil  Government,  as  much  better  obferv- 
44  ing  diftributive  and  communative  Juftice,  and 
"  proceeding  with  much  Prudence  and  Secrecy  in 
4t  the  Affairs  which  concern  the.  Preiervation  or 
"  aggrandizing  of  their  State,  being  very  impartial 
^  in  diftnbuting  Rewards,  and  inriiding  Punifh- 

"  meat, 


[       20       ] 

e£  ment.  The  Antienteft  are  preferred  to  be  the 
"  Prince's  Counfellors,  who  keep  always  about 
"  his  Perfon ;  and  the  Men  of  moft  Judgment  and 
"  Experience  are  the  Judges,  fitting  every  where 
"  in  Over  and  Terminer.  They  order  Juftice  to 
"  be  done  on  the  Spot.5* 

A.  Erne,  fpeaking  of  the  Full,  whofe  Country 
joins  to  the  Jalofs,  lays,  "  That  being  curious  to 
*"  fee  the  Method  by  which  they  adminifter  Juf- 
"  tice,  he  was  carried  to  a  Place  where  he  could 
"  obferve  what  parTed  incognito.  The  King  was 
%c  furrounded  by  ten  of  his  oldefl  OfHcers,  who 
"  heard  the  Parties  feparately,  and  after  caufing 
<c  them  to  retire,  confulted  his  Officers,  as  to  the 
<c  Decifion-,  after  which  the  Parties  were  called  in, 
<c  and  the  Sentence  pronounced,  and  put  imme- 
u  diately  in  Execution.  He  fa w  none  here  who 
"  adled  either  as  Counfel  or  Attorney,  each  plead- 
*'  edhis  own  Caufe  in  very  proper  Terms." 

The  fame  Author,  at  Page  1 10,  fpeaking  of  the 
Country  of  Cabo^  fituate  on  a  Branch  of  the  Gam- 
te,  fays,  "  The  King  was  much  regretted  at  his 
Death,  equally  by  his  Subjefts  and  Strangers0 
He  had  fettled  fo  good  a  Policy  thro'  all  his 
u  Dominions,  that  the  Merchants  might  have  left 
"  their  Goods  on  the  High-way,  without  being 
<c  ftolen.  Whenever  a  White  Man  vifited  him, 
cc  as  foon  as  he  reached  the  Frontiers  of  the  King- 
cc  dom  his  Charges  were  defrayed;  nor  durfl  the 
"  People  exa6t  any  Thing  of  Strangers,  under 
"  Pain  of  being  fold  for  Slaves." 

Peter  Holben,  who  was  fent  from  the  Court  of 
Pruffia  to  make  aftronomical  Obfervations  at  the 
Cape  Good-hope^  which  is  fituate  on  the  fouthmoft 
Vart  vf  Africa,  fpeaking  of  the  Government  .and 

Difpofition 


cc 


r  i 

[        2I        J 

Diipofition  of  the  Negroe  Inhabitants  of  that  Coun 
try,  commonly   called   Hottentots^    fays,    "  Every 
"  Village  or  Kraal  has  a  Court  of  Juftice,  for«ci- 
fc  vil  and  criminal  Affairs,  compofed  of  the  Cap- 
"  tain  and  all   the  Men  of  the  Kraal,    who  meet 
"  for  this  Purpofe  in  the  open  Field,  fitting  in   a 
"  Circle.     Juftice  among  the  Hottentots  never  fuf- 
"  fer  as  in  Europe,  either  by  Corruption  or  which 
<c  is  as  bad,  Delay.     They  have  no  Lawyer,  thank 
"  Heaven :    The  Plaintiff    and  Defendant   plead 
4C  their  own  Caufe.     The  Court  hears  them,  and 
"  by  a  Majority  of  Votes  decrees  Poffefllon  or  Da- 
"  mage,  in  cafe  of  Ailault   or  Battery,  or  other 
"  Trefpafs,  without  Appeal  or  Obftacie.     In   cri- 
"  minal   Matters,    as    Murders,    Adulteries  and 
"  Robberies;    the  Guilty  find  no  Protection  or 
"  Favour,    either    from    his    Wealth    or    Rank. 
*'  When  a  Difference  happens  between  two  Villages 
^c  of  the  fame  Nation,  it  is  referred  to   the  Judg- 
*c  ment  of  a  national  Court,  who  when  they  form 
"  their  Revolutions,  execute  them   with  as  much 
"  Steadinefs  and  Vigour  as  a  Roman  Senate.     The 
"  Author  adds :  The  Europeans  may  bo.aft  of  their 
"  Learning,  'Arts     and    Ppliteneis;     but    where 
cc  among  them  c?.n  they  fhpw  fo  wife,  fo  happy  a 
"  Government  as  that  of  the  Hottentots;  owing  en- 
"  tirely  to  this,  that  it  has  for  its  Bafis   the  nioit 
"  perfecl:  Liberty  of  tlje  People."     They  are  the 
only  Negro  Nation   that  we  know  o?5  that  are- not 
engaged  in  making  and  felling  Slaves;  this  wicked 
Practice    appears  to  be    unknown  arnongii  thefe. 
People.  *  From, 

*  "  The  Hottentots  firmly  believe  there  is  a  GOD,  the  Au- 
**  rhcr  of  all  Things,  whom  they  call  the  GOD  of  GOD:;: 
*'  But  it  does  not  appear  that  they  have  any  Inftitutiow  of 

•<-*  *          r\    * 


From  what  has  been  faid,  it  may  be  concluded 
that  the  Negroes  might  have  been  happy,  if  the 
Europeans  had  not  bore  the  Name  only,  but  had, 
indeed,  acted  the  Part  of  Chriftians,  in  ufing  their 
Endeavours,  by  Example  as  well  as  Precept,  to 
make  them  acquainted  with  the  glad  Tidings  of 
the  Gofpel,  and  with  that  change  of  Heart,  and 

Redemption 

(t  Worfhip,  dire&ly  regarding  this  fupreme  Diety.'*  When 
preffed  on  this  Article,  they  excufe  themfelves  by  a  Tradition 
*'  That  their  firft  Parents  fo  grievoufly  offended  this  great 
"  GOD,  that  he  curfed  them  and  their  Pofterity  with  Hardnefs 
•"  of  Heart:  So  that  they  know  little  about  him,  and  have 
"  lefs  Inclination  to  ferve  him." 

Holben,  who  lived  eight  Years  in  that  Country,  and  examin 
ed  with  the  greateft  Precaution  into  all  tke  Cuiloms%  Manners 
and  Opinions  of  the  Hottentots,  fets  thefe  People  in  a  quite 
different  Light  from  what  they  appear  in  former  Authors, 
whom  he  corrects  and  blames  for  tfee  Falfhoods  they  have  wan 
tonly  told  of  thei-a He  allows  they  are  juflly  blamed 

for  their  Sloth "  The  Love  of  Indolence  and  Liberty, 

he  fays  is  their  All:  Gompulfion  is  Death  t0  them.  While 
Neceility  obliges  them  to  work,  they  are  very  tractable, 
obedient  and  faithful;  but  when  they  have  got  enough  to 
fatisfy  the  prefent  Want,  they  are  deaf  to  all  farther  Entrea,- 
ty."  He  farther  faults  them  for  their  Naftinefs,  the  Effects  of 
Sloth,  and  for  their  love  of  Drink,  asalfoforthe^raetifeof  feme 
unnatural  Caftoms,  which  long  Ufe  has  fo  ellablifhed  amongrc 
them,  that  it  is  difficult  to  convince  them  of  their  Unreafona- 
t>ienefs:  Which  neverthelefs,  from  the  Account  he  gives  of  the 
general  good  Difpofiticn  of  thefe  People,  there  is  great  Reafon 
to  hope  they  might  be  petfuacjpd.  to  refrain  from,  if  a  truly 
chriiiian  Care  *vas  extended  towards  them.  Ac  Page  349 
of  the  3d.  Vol.  the  Author  fays,  "  They  are  eminently  d.iftin- 
*'  guiOied  by  many  Virtues ;  as  their  mutual  Benevolence, 
*'  Friendmip  and  Hofpitality;  they  breath  Kindnefs  and 
?'  Good-will  to  one  another;  an -1  feek  all  Opportunities  of 
*'  obliging.  Is  a  Hottentots  Aflillance  required  by  one  of  hi* 
"  Country-men,  he  rnns  to  give  it:  Is  his  Advice  afked,  he 
>ives  it  with  Sincerity:  Is  his  Country-men  in  Want  he  re 
ives  him  to  the  utmoil  of  Jijs  Power;'  their  Hoff>iuli:y  ex- 

^  tends 


Redemption  from  Sin,  which  Chriftianity  propofes ; 
this,  if  attended  to,  would  have  neceflarily  been 
produ&ive  of  the  peaceable  Fruits  of  Righteouf* 
nefs;  Innocence  and  Love,  would  have  reigned  in 
the  Room  of  Animofities  and  Rloodfhed,  thus  the 
Chriftians  inftead  of  provoking  the  Vengeance  of 
a  Jealous  GOD,  would  have  been  the  happy  In^ 
ftruments  of  compleating  thefe  poor  Africans  Hap- 
pinefs.  But  the  Reverie  has  happened;  the  Euro 
peans^  forgetful  of  their  Profeffion  and  Duty,  as 
Men  and  Chriftians,  have  conducted  in  fuch  a 
Manner-,  as  rnuft  necefTarily  raife  in  the  Minds  of 
the  Thoughtful  and  well-dilpofed  Negroes,  the  ut- 
moft  Scorn  and  Deteftation  of  th|^Chri{lian  Name. 
They  have  made  all  other  Confiderations  give  way 
to  an  infatiable  Defire  of  Gain,  and  are  become 
the  principal  and  moving  Caufe  of  the  moft  abo* 
minable  and  dreadful  Scene,  that  was,  perhaps, 
ever  acted  upon  this  Globe :  Every  Thing,  even 
the  Power  of  the  Negro  Kings  have  been  made 
fubfervient  to  anfwer  this  wicked  Purpofe;  inftead 
of  being  Protectors  of  their  People^  thefe  Rulers, 
allured  by  the  tempting  Baits  laid  before  them  by 
the  Factors,  &c>  have  invaded  the  Liberties  of 

their 

"  tends  even  to  European  Strangers.  In  travelling  thro'  the 
41  Cape  Countries,  you  meet  with  a  chearful  and  open  Recep 
tion,  in  whatsoever  Village  you  come  to.  IH  fliort,  the  In 
tegrity  of  the  Hottentots',  their  Stricknefs  and  Celerity  in 
the  Execution  of  Juftice,  and  their  Chaftity  are  equalled  by- 
few  Nations.  An  amiable  Simplicity  of  Manners  adorns  all 
their  A&ions." 

"  Numbers  of  thefe  People  have  given  it  as  a  Reafon  for 
their  not  harkening  to  Chriftianity,  that  they  were  hindered 
by  the  Envy,  Avarice,  Lull  and  Injuftice,  which  they  faw 
fo  prevalent  amongft  thofe  who  profefs  it," 


[     H    3 

their  unhappy  Subjects,  and  become  their  Oppref- 
fors;  as  is  fully  evidenced  by  the  following  Ac 
count,  viz. 

Francts  Moore,  Factor  to  the  African  Company,, 
in  1730,  tells  his  Readers,  cc  That  when  the  King 
*6  of  Barf  alii  wants  Goods  or  Brandy,  he  fends  a 
"  Meflenger  to  the  Engltjh  Governor  at  James's 
"  Fort,  to  defire  he  would  fend  up  a  Sloop  with  a 
"  Cargo  of  Goods^  which,  fays  the  Author,  the 
"  Governor  never  fails  to  do:  Againft  the  Time 
<c  the  Veffel  arrives*  the  King  plunders  fome  of 
<c  his  Enemies  Towns,,  felling  the  People  for  fuch 
*'  Goods  as  he  wants,  which  commonly  is  Brandy 
*e  or  Rum,  Gunpowder,  Ball,  Fire-arms,  Piftols 
t<;  and  Cutlaffes  for  his  Soldiers,  &c.  and  Coral 

<c  arid  Silver  for  his  Wives  and  MiftrefTes. If 

<c  he  is  at  War  with  no  neighbouring  King,  he 
<c  falls  upon  one  of  his  own  Towns,  and  makes 
"  bold  to  fell  his  own  miferable  Subjects.  He  of- 
*e  ten  goes  with  fome  of  his  Troops  by  a  Town  in 
"  the  Day-time,  and  returns  in  the  Night,  and 
<x  fets  Fire  to  three  Parts  of  it,  placing  Guards  at 
cc  the  Fourth,  to  feize  the  People  that  run  out  of 
"  the  Fire,  then  ties  their  Arms  behind  them,  and 
*c  marches  them  to  Joar  or  Rohone,  where  he  fells 
*'  them." 

Brue,  the  French  Factor,  lays,  "  That  having 
c*  received  Goods,  he  wrote  to  the  King,  that  if 
cc  he  had  a  fufficient  Number  of  Slaves,  he  was 
€<  ready  to  trade  with  him;  this  Prince,  fays  that 
**  Author,  as  well  as  the  other  Negroe  Monarchs, 
cc  have  always  a  fure  Way  of  fupplying  his  Defici- 
<c  cncies,  by  felling  their  own  Subjects,  for  which 
**  they  feldom  want  Pretcnfions  of  fome  Kind  or 
£  Other,  to  juftify  their  Rapine."  Thefe  Negroe 

Kings, 


{      25      ] 

ICings,  thus  feeking  Pretences  to  cover  their 
Crimes,  (hew  they  are  not  quite  void  of  Shame, 
;nor  infenfible  that  Covetoufnefs  induces  them  to 
ad  a  Part  fo  inconfiftent  with  their  Duty ;  but  here 
they  may  plead  the  Example  and  Solicitation  of  the 
more  knowing  Europeans.  cc  The  King  had  Re- 
"  courfe  to  this  Method,  by  feizing  three  -Hun- 
"  dred  of  his  own  People,  and  fent  Word  to  Brue9 
"  that  he  had  the  Slaves  ready  to  deliver  for.  the 
96  Goods."  The  fame  Author  further  adds, 
"  That  fome  of  the  Natives  are,  on  all  Occafions, 
<c  endeavouring  to  furprize  and  carry  off  their 
'"  Country  People:  They  land  (fays  he)  without 
t<5c  Noife,  and  if  they  find  any  lone  Cottage,  with- 
'*'  out  Defence,  they  furround  it,  and  carry  off  all 

'"  the  People  and  Effe&s  to  their  Boat: The 

"  Slaves  are  fold  to  the  Europeans,  unlefs  they  be 
"  Perfons  of  fome  Rank,  whofe  Friends  can  re- 
<c  deem  them,  by  paying  two  Slaves,  or  five  or 
"  fix  Oxen." 

John  Barlot  fays,  "  The  Slaves  fold  by  the  Ne- 
*«.  groes  are  for  the  mofl-  part  Prifoners  of  War,  or 
**  taken  in  the  Incurfions  they  make  into  their 
*e  Enemies  Territories  •,  others  are  ftolen  away  by 
*'  their  own  Countrymen.  Abundance  of  little 
'"  Blacks,  of  both  Sexes,  are  ftolen  away  by  theft* 
"  Neighbours,  when  found  abroad,  on  the  Roads, 
"  or  in  the  Woods,  orelfeinthe  Corn  Fields,  at 
"'c<  the  Time  of  the  Year  when  their  Parents  keep 
"*'  them  there  all  Day,  to-fcare  away  -the  devouring 
•«  fmall  Birds." 

Francis  Moore,  the  Englijh  Fa6lor,  fays,  •"  That 
<x  captivating  the  People  is,  by  Cuftom,  become 
<c  fo  familiar,  that  when  the  King  of  Kayor  wants 
^  to  make  a  Prefent  tp  the  Fa&gr,  fgr  what  he  has 

JO 


•r  *6  ] 

"received  of  him,  he'fcnds  to  have  two  c>r  three 

tc  Slaves  taken  up  at  the  ncan.it  Village,     Unhap- 
"  ]•>>•'  (fays  that   Author)    arc   they,  -who  at  that 
ki  Time  rail  into   the   Hands  of  his  -Guards,  for 
"  they  May  to  make  no  Choice."     And  he  further 
adds,  u  Thar  in  Buttle  they  fpare  the  Enemies  as 
cv   much  a:-  poiTibJe,  but  it  is  only  that  they  may 
"  have  die  more  Slaves-,  from  which  even  Perfons 
^  of  Quality,  taken  Prifohtrs,  are  not  exempted: 
c'  'That  ilie  Merchants  bring  down  fome  Years,  to 
ct  that  Ka/;torv,  to  the  Amount  of  two  Thouiand 
Slaves;  which,  they  lav,  are  taken  Priibners  in 
War.     Theie  they  buy  from  the  different  Princ 
es,  who  take  them;  many  of  them    come  from 
a  great  Way  In-land.     Their  Way  of  bringing 
them,  is  tying  them  t>y  the  Neck  with  Leather 
"  T  hongs,  at  about  a  Yard  Diitance  .from   each 
"  oilier,    having  generally  a  Bundle  of  Corn,  or 
cc  Elephants  Teeth,  on  each  of  their  Heads,  Thir- 
cc  ty  or  Forty  in  a  String."     "  The  Author  judg- 
cc  es,  That   the    Number  of  Merchants  whofol- 
vt  ijvved   this   Trade    were   about    an   Hundred.1" 
*$orne  A  others,  fay,  u  They  go  fix  or  feven   Hun- 
tc  tir-jcl  iVliles  ijp  the  Country,  with  Goods  bought 
'"  ir>m    the    Engfifoi  with   \vhich   they   purchatc 
"  thefe   Slaves,     and  Ivory.—         —  Befides    thofe 
'*'  Slaves,  there  are  many  bought  along  the  River; 
ct  t'hcfc  arc  either  taken  in  War,  as-  the  .former,  or- 
"  Meii  tondcjnned  tor  Crimes,  or.Peribns   ilolen, 
"  v/hich  is  very  frequently.  ---------  Since  the  Slave*. 

<c  Trade  has  been  introduced,  all  Pur.iiliments  ai-e 
cc  commuted  in  ibis  ;  an-d  they  ilrain  han.1  for 
"  Crimes,  in  order  to  have  the  Benefit  of  felling 
"  the  Criminal;  fo  that  not  only  great  Crimes  but 
cc  even  trifling  ones,  ar-e.  at  preient  puniilied  witli 
Slavery.''  Bofman 


**' 


C  27-  I 

ffdfman  fays,  "  That  being  in  the  Kingdom  of* 
**"  Pope^  who  depend  on    Plunder  "and   the  Slave, 
**  Trade,    in    which  they  exceed    forne>  ot  their.' 
"  Neighbours,    becaufe,    being   endued  .  with    a. 
•c 'much  larger  Share  of  Courage,  they   rob   more. 
"  fuccefsfully,  they  affured  him,  that  if  he  would, 
tc  have  Patience  for  three  Days,  they   would,  be 
"••  able -to  deliver  him  Oneor  Two  Hundred  Slaves.^ 
u  and  that  their  Incurfions  fucceedecl  fo  well,  they 
<c  returned  with  about  -Two- -Hundred.     That  the. 
"•  Inhabitants  of  Ard&  were  fo  diligent  in  the  Slave 
**  -Trade-,  that  .they  were  -able  to  deliver  a  Thou-.- 
"  fand  Slaves  every  Month;  and  that ir'th^e  b-- 
"  pened  to  be  no  Stock  of  Slaves  when  the  Vcffels 
fic  arrived,  they  would  fometimes   fend  their  Com- 
*c  modities  Two  Hundred  Miles  deep  in  the  Conn-- 
"  try"  (a  later  Author  fays,  they  have  now  car 
ried  the  Trade-  Five  Huiidred'Mifcs  i&rfcbeny.^birKy 
now  Seven  Hundred  Miles  back  into  the  Country) ; 
<c  where.  Markets  o^Men  were -kcpt>in   the   lame 
Manner  as  thofb  of  Beads  with  us;     Mo!c  of  the  . 
Slaves  are  Prifdnecs. of ..V\?ar,., which  arajold  by, 
**  the  Vi6lors  as  their  Booty:      When-.- theft:  Slaves 
"  come  to  Fida,  they  are  put  ::i  Prifcrv  altogether^8 
and  when  (fays  he)  we  treat  conceniin^   buying* 
them,  they  are  a1]  brought  out    toother    in 'a* 
large  Plain,  where,  by  our  Surgeons, '  thsy   arc- 
thoroughly. examined,  and  that  naked  too,'  both, 
"  Men  and- Women-,  without  the  lead  DiHjin.fnon 
or   Modefty..    *  Thofe.  which  are    approved  as 

From  the  above  Ace-onnf  of  the  indecent  ein--l  {''o-Kinr-, 
Mannerih  which  the  unhappy  Negroes  are  treated,  it  is.reafoX 
liable  for  Perfons  unacquainted  wkh  thefe  People  to  cq-.du  |e 
them  to  be  void  of  that  natural    Mcdefty  fo  becominp-  a'  .realb- 
aable  Creature,  otherwife  the  Euro$t&n$  would  never  dare  to.. 

ufe 


'«*  good,  are  fet  on  one  Side;  in  the  mean  while-  at 
*c  burning  Iron,  with  the  Arms  or  Name  of  the 
<c  Companies,  lies  in  the  Fire,,  with  which  ours 
<c  are  marked  oa  the  Breaft.  When  we  have 
"  agreed  with  the  Owners  of  the  Slaves,,  they  are 
*'  returned  to  their  Prifons,  where,  from  that 
*'  Tirne  forward,  they  are  kept  at  our  Charge,, 
*c  coft  us  Two-pence  a  Day  a  Slave,  which  ferves  ta 
*•*  lubfift  them  like  our  Criminals  on  Bread  and 
*'  W^ter^  fo  that,  to  fave  Charges,  we  fend  them 
*c  on  board  our  Ships  the  very  firft  Opportunity,, 
*'  before  which,  their  Matters  (trip  them,  of  all 
*c  they  have  on  their  Backs,  fo  that  they  come  on 
*•*•  board  ftark  naked,  as  well  Women  as  Men :  la. 

l-  which 


life  them  in  fo  foameful  a  Manner;  but  thofe  who  have  had 
Intercourfe  with  the  Blacks  in  theie  northern  Colonies,  know 
that  this  would  be  a  wrong  Conclufion,  for  they  are,,  indeed,, 
as  fufceptible  of  Modefty  and  Shame  as  other  People:  It  is 
the  unparallel'd  Brutality  to  which  the  Europeans  have  by  long 
Cuftom  been  innure.dj  whkh  urgeth  them  ta  aft,  without 
biufhing,  fo  fhameful  a  Part.  Such  a  Ufage  is  certainly 
grievous  to  the  poor  Negroes,  particularly  the  Women,  but, 
they  are  Slaves,  and  rnuit  fubmit  to  this,  or  any  other  Abufe 
which  may  be  offered  them  by  their  cruel  Talk- mailers,  or  ex-. 
pe£t  to  be  inhumanly  tormented. 

That  this  brutilh  Conduit  is  Ihameful,  even  in  the  Eyes 
of  the  JSIach,  appears  from  a  Quotation  taken  out  of  the  Col- 
Action  of  Voyages,  Vol.  2,  Page  20i,  <7»/s.  "  At  an  Au- 
u  dience  which  Cajfeneuw  had  of  the  King  of  Congo,  where 
r<  he  was  ufed  with  a  great  deal  of  Civility  by  the  Blacks* 
**  fome  Slaves  were  delivered  to  him.  The  King  obferving-, 
CaJ/eneu've  (according  to  the  Cuftom  of  Europeans]  to  han 
dle  the  Limbs  of  the  Slaves,  burft  out  a  laughing,  as  did 
**  the  great; Men  about  him;  the  Fa&or  aflung  the  Interpreter 
the  Occafion  of  their  Mirth,  was  told  it  proceeded  from  his 
fp  nicely  examining  the  Slaves.  Neverthelefs,  the  King 
was  fo  at^amed  of  it,  that  he  dcfired  him  for  Decency  Sake 
to  do  it  in  a  more  private  Manner,  which,  {ays  the  Author*. 
**  fkews  the  Mtack  to  be  very  modefl* 


t  29  ]  ^ 

**  which  Condition  they  are  obliged  to  continue,  \$ 

"  the  Mailer  of  the  Ship  is  not  fo  charitable  (which* 

*c  he  commonly  is)  as  to  beftow  fbmething  on  them? 

"  to  cover  their  Nakedneis. — Six  or  Seven  Hun- 

u  dred  are  fbmetimes  put  on  board  a.  Vefiel,  where> 

46  they  lie  as  clofe  together  as  poflible  for  them  to  be 

*c  crouded.--— /  doubt  »<?/,  fays  the  fame  Author, 

<c  but  this  Trade  fee ms  very  barbarous  to  you* 
«  but /nee  it  is  followed  by  meer  Nece^ity^  it 
*c  muft  go.  on" 

What  Neceffity  does  the  Author  mean,  no  other 
NecefTity  appears  but  that  arifing  from  the  Defire 
of  amaffing  Riches-,  a  Neceflky  laid  on  worldy 
Men,,  by  their  hard  Tafk-mafter  the  Devil  ?  Many 
more  Examples  might  be  given  to  Ihevv  the  arbi 
trary  and  tyrannick  Oppreilion  with,  which  this 
Trade  is  carried  on,  and  the  Devailation  and 
Bloodmed  it  occafions  in  thofe  unhappy  People's 
Country ;  but  I  truft  this  is  fufficient  to  convince 
the  candid,  confiderate  Reader  of  the  UnlawfulneiV 
and  Inhumanity  of  tlie  Trade.  And,  indeed, 
what  Diftrefs  can  we  conceive  equal  to  the  Alarms, 
the  Anxiety  and  Wratli^  which  muft.  fucceed  one 
another  in  the  Breads  of  the  tender  Parents,  or 
affectionate  Children,  in  continual  Danger  of  being 
torn  one  from  another,  and  dragged  into  a  State  of 
cruel  Bondage.,  *  Reader  if  the  Impreffions  of* 

Grace, 

*  yokn  At  kin*  i.  Surgeon  to  Commodore  0^/<?,  when  on  the 
Coaft  of  Guinea*  heared  that  the  Trade  which  the  En^ljjb  ufed 
to  carry  on  with  the  Cobebahou  and  Dreivin  Negroes  was  at  a. 
Stand  ;  thofe  Places  having  been  lately  deilroyed  by  the  Santee 
&*%roefj  a  Nation  ©f  la-land  Blacks >.  who  were  provoked  at 


[    3°    I 

Grace,  or  even  the  common  Feelings  of  Flu  man  it-  . 
ty  are  not  fupprefTed  in;  thy  Heart,  by  th«  Love  of 
Gain,  compare  what  thou  haft  read  with  the  Equi 
ty,  the  Sympathy,  the  Tendernefs  and  affectionate 
Love,  which  is  the  Life  of  Chridianity,.  and  then 
fay,  what  Concord  or  Affinity  can  theie  Fruits  have 
qne  with  another  :  May  not  this  Trade  be  truly 
faid  to  be  the  moil  iniquitous  and  cruelefl  Act.  of 
Violence  and  Rapine,  when   confidered    in   all  ks 
Circumftances,  that  to  our  Knowledge  is.  perpetrat 
ed  in  any  Part  of  the  World.     Yet  Thanks   be  to 
the  great  Father  of  the  Family  of  the-whole  Earth»  . 
that  it  is  not  only  in  America,  that  feveral  wlio  .are 
nearly  interefted  in  the  Prosperity  of  theie   Colo 
nies,  and  more  obvioufiy  acquainted  with  the  def- 
tractive  Confequences  attendant  on  this-  iniquitous, 
Practice,  are  induced  publickly  to  tefhfy   againft 
it,  but  chat  a  noble  Indignation  is  alfo  railed  in  the. 
Bread  of  many  in  our  Mother  Country,  zealoufly. 
to  declare    againlt  ib  unparalleled  an    inva-fion  of 
the   Rights   and    Liberties   of  Mankind,     among 
which  it  may,  perhaps  be  furncient  only  to  initance 
she  following,  in  order  to  give  the  Reader  an  Idea 
of  the  Sentiments    of  many  other  worthy  Perfons 
in  this  Cafe,  viz.  George  l¥allis^  a  Gentleman    of 
the  Law,  in    a  Book    wrote    by   him,  intituled  a 
Syjhm  of  the   Principles   of  the  La-iv   of  Scotland; 
where,  fpeaking  of  the  Slavery  of  the  Negroes   in 

our 


the  Abtifes  they  had  received  from  the  Cobet.-ahcu  and 
PVople,  who  had  made  frequent  Jncurfions  in  their  Country 
and  pany  yard,  or  carried  away  their  People  to  be  Ibid  for 
Slaves.  Doubtlefs  this  Devaluation  was  <€»wfiflg  to.  the  Slave— 
Trade,  the  Opportunity  the  CokehabotL  Negroes  had  of  feDhig 
Slaves  to  the  Europeans,  was  what  induced  them  to  afFault  the 
Jn-land  Blackt,  which  brought  iuch  JDeftruction  upon,  them* 
fcii-cs. 


[     3*     1 

Otir  Colonies,  he  fays-,  "  We  all  know  that -they 

*c  (the  Negroes)  are  purchafed  from  their  Princes, 

46  who  pretend  to  have  a  Right  to  difpofe  of  them, 

'"  and    chat    they   are,  like  other    Commodities, 

"  transported     by    the    Merchants,    who     have 

"  bought  them,  into  America,  in  order  to  be  ex- 

C£  poled  to  Sale.     If  this  Trade  admits  of  a  moral 

"  or  a  rational   Juftirlcation,  every   Crime,  even 

"  the  mo  ft  atrocious,  may  be  juftified.     Govern- 

"  ment  was  inftituted  for  the  Good  of  Mankind i 

"  Kings,  Princes,  Governors,  are  not  Proprietors 

'*'  of  thole   who  are   fubjedt  to  their  Authority^ 

'"  they  have  not  a  Right  to  make  them  mifera'ble, 

"  On   the  -contrary,  their  Authority  is  veiled  m 

'"  them,  that  they  may,  by  the  juft  Exerciie  of  it, 

"  promote  the   Happinefs  of  their    People.      Of 

<c  Cotirfe,  they  have  not  a  Right  to  difpofe  of  their 

"  Liberty,  and  -to  fell  -them  for  Slaves.     Befides, 

"  no  Man   has  a  Right  to  acquire  or  to   purchafe 

"  them-,  Men  and  their  Liberty  are  not   (in  Com- 

tc  mcrcio)  they  are  not  either  faieable  or  purchafe- 

*c  able.     One,  therefore,  has  no  body  but  himfelf 

4C  to  blame,  in  cafe  he  fhall  find  himfelf  deprived 

et  of  a  Man,  whom  he  thought  lie  had,  by  buying 

"  for  a  Price,  made   his  own;  for  he   dealt  in  a 

cc  Trade  which  was  illicit,  and  was  prohibited  by 

**  the  mod  obvious  Dictates  of  Humanity.     For 

"  thefe  Reafons  every  one  of  thole   unfortunate 

"  Men,  who  are  pretended  to  be  Slaves,    has  a 

*c  Right  to  be  declared   to  be  free,  for  he   never 

"  loit  his  Liberty,  he  could  notlofeit;  his  Prince 

"  had  no  Power  to  difpofe  of  him.     Of  Courfe  the 

'•"  Sale  was  ipfo  Jure  void.     This  Right  he  carries 

*'  about  with  him,  and  is  entitkd  every  where  to 

"  get  it  declared.     As    foon,    therefore,    as  he 

"  comes 


t  1* 

*  comes  into  a  Country  in  which  the  Judges  are 
*c  not  forgetful  of  their  own  Humanity,  it  is  their 
*6  Duty  to  remember  that  he  is  a  Man,  and  to  de- 
"  ckre  him  to  be  free.     I  know  it  has  been  faid* 
"  that  Queiiions  concerning  the  State  of  Perfons 
"  ought   to  be  determined  by  the  Law   of  the 
*c  Country  to  which  they  belong;  and  that^  there- 
*c  fore,  one  who  would  be  declared  to  be  a  Slave 
<c  in  America,  ought,  in  cafe  he  fhould   happen  to 
**  be   imported  into  Britain^  to  be  adjudged  ac- 
<c  cording  to  the  Law  of  America  to  be  a  Slave  \ 
*'  a  Do&rine  than   which   nothing  can  be    more 
*'  barbarous.     Ought  the  Judges  of  any  Country* 
"  out  of  Refpecl  to  the  Law  of  another*  to  fhew 
*'  no  Refpecl:  to   their   Kind,  and  to  Humanity* 
<c  Out  of   Refpecl  to   a  Law,    which  is  in    no 
c<  Sort  obligatory  upon  them,  ought  they  to  difre*- 
"  gard  the  Law  of  Nature,  which  is  obligatory 
"  on  all  Men  at  all  Times,  and  in  all  Places :  Are 
<c  any  Laws  fo  binding  as  the   eternal  Laws  of1 
**  Juftice  ?  Is  it  doubtful,  whether  a  judge  ought 

*  to  pay  greater  Regard  to  them,  than   to  thofe 
**  arbitrary  and  inhuman  Ufages  which  prevail  in  a 
*'  diftant  Land  ?  Aye,  but  our  Colonies  would  be 
"  ruined,    if  Slavery  was  aboliilied.      Be    it  fo; 
"  would  it  not  from  thence  follow,  that  the  Bulk 
**  of  Mankind  ought  to  be  abufed,  that  our  Pock- 
<c  ets  may  be  filled  with  Money,  or  our  Mouths 
**  with  Delicacies  ?  The  Purfes  of  Highwaymen 
"  would  be  empty  in  cafe  Robberies  were  totally 
"  aboliilied;    but  have  Men  a  Right  to  acquire 
"  Money  by  going  out  to  the  Highway  ?  Have 
*'  Men  a  Right  to  acquire  it  by  rendering  their 
*'  Fellow   Cieatures   miferable?    Is   it   lawful   to 

*  abufe  Mankind,  that  the  Avarice,  the  Vanity, 

"  or 


[33     1 

or  the  Pafilons  of  a  few  may  be  gratified?  No! 
There  is  fuch  a  Thing  as_Juftice,  to  which  the 
moll  facred  Regard  is  due.  It  ought  to  be  in- 
vioiably  obferved.  Have  not  thefe  unhappy 
Men  a  better  Right  to  their  Liberty,  and  to 
their  Happinefs,  than  our  American  Merchants 
have  to  the  Profits  which  they  make  by  torturing 
their  Kind  ?  Let  therefore  our  Colonies  be 
ruined,  but  let  us  not  render  fo  many  Men  mi- 
ferable.  Would  not  any  of  us,  who  fhould — - 
be  fnatched  by  Pyrates  from  his  native  Land, 
think  himfelf  cruelly  abufed,  and  at  all  Times 
intitled  to  be  free.  Have  not  thefe  unfortunate 
Africans^  who  meet  with  the  fame  cruel  Fate, 
the  fame  Right  ?  Are  not  they  Men  as  well  as 
we,  and  have  they  not  the  fame  Senfibility  ? 
Let  us  not,  therefore,  defend  or  fupport  a  Ufagc 
which  is  contrary  to  all  the  Laws  of  Humanity. 
"  But  it  is  falfe,  that  either  we  or  our  Colonies 
would  be  ruined  by  the  Abolition  of  Slavery. 
It  might  occafion  a  Stagnation  of  Bu.fin.efs  for 
a  fliort  Time.  Every  great  Alteration  pro- 
duces  that  Effect  j  becaufe  Mankind  cannot, 
on  a  fudden,  find  Ways  of  dilpofing  of  them- 
felves  and  of  their  Affairs  :  But  it  would  pro. 
duce  many  happy  Effects.  It  is  the  Slavery 
which  is  permitted  in  America  that  has  hindered 
it  from  becoming  k>  foon  populous,  as  it  would 
otherwife  have  done.  Let  the  Negroes  free, 
and  in  a  few  Generations,  this  vail  and  fertile 
Continent  would  be  crowded  with  Inhabitants  * 
Learning,  Arts,  and  every  Thing  would  flour- 
ifh  amongfl  them  \  inflead  of  being  inhabited 
by  wild  Beafts,  and  by  MNges>  ll  wquld  be 
peopl'd  by  Phiiofophers,  ana  by  Men." 
E 


1     34    I 

'  Francis  Hut  clef  on  Profeilbr  of  Philofophy,  at 
the  Univerfity  of  Glajgow,  in  his  Syftem  of  Moral 
Pbilofopfa,  Page  211,  fays,  "  He  who  de~ 
•"  tains  another  by  Force  in  Slavery,  is  always 
"  bound  to  prove  ''his  Title.  The  Slave  fold 
"  or  carried  into  a  diftant  Country  muft  not  be 
"  obliged  to  prove  a  Negative,  that  be  never  for- 
"  felted  bis  Liberty.  The  violent  Poileilbr  muft  in 
"  all  Cafes  fhew  his  Title,  efpecially  where  the 
•*'  old  Proprietor  is  well  known.  In  this  Cafe  eaC'h 
"  Man  is  the  original  Proprietor  of  his  own  Li- 
"  berty.  The  Proof  of  his  lofing  it  muft  be  in- 
tc  curnbent  on  thofe  who  deprive  him  of  it  by 
"  Force.  The  'J-ewi/h  "Laws  had  great  regard  to 
*'  Juftice,  about  the  Servitude  of  Hebrews,  found- 
"  ing  it  only  on  Content  or  fome  Crime  or  Dam- 
<c  age,  allowing  them  always  a  proper  Redrefs 
"  upon  any  cruel  Treatment  •,  and  fixing  a  limi- 
"  ted  Time  for  it,  unleis  upon  l>ial  the  Servant 
4t  inclined  to  prolong  it.  The  Laws  about  foreign 
tc  Slaves  Lad  many  merciful  Provifions  againft  im- 
€C  moderate  Severity  of  the  Matters.  But  under 
cc  Chriftianity,  whatever  Lenity  was  due  from 
"  an  Hebrew  towards  his  Country  Man  mull  be 
"  due  towards  all  ;  iince  the  Diftinclions  of  Na- 
cc  tions  are  removed,  as  to  the  Point  of  Huma- 
4t  nity  and  Mercy,  as  well  as  natural  Right,  nay 
ct  fome  of  thefe  Rights,  granted  over  foreign 
"  Slaves  .may  '-fuft.lv  be  deemed  only  fuch  Indul- 
cc  gencies,  as  thole  of  Poligamy  and  Divorce, 
ct  gran  twig  only  external  Impunity  in  fuch  Prac- 
"  tice,  and  not  iufficient  Vindication  of  them  in 
*c  Conlci-nce." 

Page  85.     It's  Jlfeded   that,    "  In  fome  bar- 
**  barou-s  Nations  unleis  the  Captives  were  bought 

for 


[    35    I 

"**  for  Slaves  they  would  all.be  murthercd.-  They 
"  therefore  owe  their  Lives,  and  all  they  can  da 
"  to  their  Purchafers  j  and  fo  do  their  Childrea 
"  who  would  not  otherwile  have  come  into  Life  : 
"  But  this  whole  Plea  is  no  more  than  that  of  the 
"  negotium  uiile  gcftum,  to  which  any  civilized  Na- 
*'  tion  is-  bound  by  Humanity,  'tis  a  prudent .  exr 
"  penfive  Ofiice  done  for  the  Service  of -others 
6C  without  a  gratuitous  Intention  ,  .and  this  founds- 
tfr  no  other  Right  than  that. to  full  Compenfation 
"  of  all  Charges  and .  Labour  employed,  for  the 
"  Benefit  of  others... 

"  A  Set  of  inaccurate  popular  Phrafes,  blind 
"  us  in  theie  Matters,  Captives  .owe  their  Lives,, 
"  and  ail  to  the  Purchafers,  lay.  they,  juit  in  tlie 
"  fame  Manner,  we,  our  Nobles,  and  Princes, 
<c  often  ov/e  our  Lives  to, Midwives,  Chirurgeons, 
"  Phyiicians,  dffr.  one.  who  was  the .  Means  of 
"  preferving  a  Man's  Life  is  not  therefore  fnti- 
"  tuled  to  make  him  a  Slave,  .and  fell  him  as  ;t 
"  Piece  of  Goods.  Strange,  that  in  any  Nation 
"  where  a  Senfe  of  Liberty,  prevails,,  where  the 
"  Chriftian  Religion  is  profeired5.  Cuitom  and 
cc  high  Projpe6cs  of  Gain  can  fo  ftupify  the  Conl- 
"  cience  of  Menf  .and  all  Senfe  of  natural  Jufticc, 
cc  that  they  can  hear  fuch.  Computations  made 
**  about  the.Value  of  •  their  Fellow-Men,  .and  their 
4C  Liberty,,,  with ©ut  Abhorrence  and  Incligjiatic: 

James  E$&$  D.  D.  in  bis  Difcourfes  on  Natural 
Religion  and  Social  Virtue,  alfo.  fhews.  his  j.ufL  In 
dignation  at  this  wicked  Pracike, .,  which 
he  declares  to  be  "  a  criminal  and  outrageous 
"  Violation  of  the  natural  Right  of  Mankind"  Ac 
Page  156,  2JU.  he  lays,  u  Should  we  h^ve 
"  read  conceiflpg  the  Greeks  or  Romans  of  cld3 

that 


[    36    ] 

**  that  they  traded,  with  view  to  make  Slaves  of 
<c  their  own  Species,  whom  they  certainly  knew 
<c  that  this  would  involve  in  Schemes  of  Blood 
*6  and  Murther,  of  deftroying,  or  enflaving  each 
*'  other,  that  they  even  fomented  Wars,  and  en- 
<c  gaSed  whole  Nations  and  Tribes  in  open  Hofti- 
"  lities,  for  their  ov/n  private  Advantage  •,  that  they 
*c  had  no  Deteftation  of  the  Violence  ancLCruelty  •,. 
*c  but  only  feared  the  ill  Succefs.  of  their  inhuman 
*'  Enterprifes  ;  that  they  carried  Men  like  them- 
"  felves,  their  Brethren,  and  the  OfF-fpring  of 
*c  the  fame  common  Parent,  to  be  fold  like 
*(  Beafts  of  Prey,  or  Beads  of  Burden,  and  put 
*c  them  to  the  lame  reproachful  Trial,  of  their 
<c  Soundwefs,  Strength  and  Capacity  for  greate? 
*c  bodily  Service  ;  that  quite  forgeting,  and  re- 
*c  nouncing,  the  original  Dignity  of  human  Na- 
<c  ture,  communicated  to  all,  they  treated  them 
"  with  more  Severity  and  ruder  Difcipline,  than 
"  even  the  0#,  or  the  Afs^  who  are  void  of  Under* 

<c  ftanding fhould  we  not  if  this  had  been  the 

"  Cafe,  have  naturally  been  led  to  deipife  all  their 
"  fret  ended  Refinements  of  Morality  ;  and  to  have 
*'  concluded,  that  as  they  were  not  Nations  def- 
<c  titue  of  Politenefs,  they  mult  have  been  entire 
"  Strangers  to  Virtue  and  Benevolence. 

"  But,  notwithstanding  this,  we  ourfelves  (who 

"  profefs  to  be  Chriftians,  and  boaft  of  the  pe- 

<c  culiar  Advantage  we  enjoy,  by  Means  of  an  ex- 

<c  prefs  Revelation  of   our  Duty  from  Heaven) 

cc  are  in  EfFeci,    thefe   very  untaught  and  rude 

Heathen  Countries.     With   all    our    Superior 

4  Light,  we  inftil  into  thofe,  whom  we  call  favage 

<  and   barbarous,    the   moft  Jfcicable   Opinion 

£  oi  human  Nature.    We>  towe  utmoft  of  our 

jfower, 


t    37    ] 

fc  Power,  weaken  and  diff>lve  the  Univerfal  Tie,1 
"  that  bind  and  unties  Mankind.  We  practice 
"  what  we  fhould  exclaim  agatnft,  as  the  utmoft 
*c  Excels  of  Cruelty  and  Tyranny,  if  Nations  of 
"  the  World,  differing  in  Colour,  and  Form  of 
"  Government  from  ourfelvcs,  were  fo  poffeffed 
"  of  Empire,  as  to  be  able  to  reduce  us  to  a  State 
<e  of  unmerited  and  brutifh  Servitude.  Of  con- 
"  fequence  we  facriiice  our  Reafon,  our  Hu- 
"  manity,  our  Chriftianity  to  an  unnatural  fordid 
"  Gain.  We  teach  other  Nations  to  defpife  and 
"  trample  under  Foot,  all  the  Obligations  of  ib- 
"  cial  Virtue.  We  take  the  moft  effedual  Me- 
"  thod  to  prevent  the  Propagation  of  the  Gofpel, 
<c  by  reprefenting  it  as  a  Scheme  of  Power  andbar- 
*6  barous  Oppreffion,  and  an  Enemy  to  the 
*6  natural  Priviledges  and  Rights  of  Men. 

"  Perhaps  all,  that  I  have  now  offered, 
<c  may  be  of  very  little  Weight  to  reftrain  this 
"  Enormity,  this  aggravated  Iniquity.  Kow- 
*'  ever  I  iliall  ftill  have  the  Satisfaction,  of  having 
cc  entered  my  private  Protett  againft  a  Praclice 
"  which,  in  my  Opinion,  bids  thatGonr  who  is 
"  the  GOD  and  Father  of  the  Gentiles,  uncon- 
"  verted  to  Chriftianity,.  moft  daring  and  bold 
*'  Defiance  and  fpurns  at  all  the  Principles,  both 
4C  of  natural  and  revealed  Religion. 

EXTRACTS  from  a  Pamphlet,    intituled, 

Two  Dialogues  on  the  M  A  N-T  R  A  D  E» 

Printed  zV*  London,  in  the  Tear   1760. 

TH  E  African  Blacks  are  as  properly  and  truly 
Men,  as  the  European  Whites  \  they  arebotli 

of 


[     35     1 

of  the  fame  Species,  and  are  originally  defcendecf 

from    the   fame  Parents, they  have  the  lame 

rational  Powers  as  we  have  •,  they  are  free  moral 
Agents,  as  we  are,  and  many  of  them  have  as 
good  natural  Genius,  as  good  and  as  brave  a  Spirit 
as  any  of  thofe  to  whom  they  are  made  Slaves. 
To  trade  in  Blacks,  then,  is  to  trade  in  Men;  the 
black- fkin'd  and  the  white- fkin'd  being  all  of  the 
fame  Species,  all  of  the  human  Race,  are  by  Na 
ture  upon  an  Equality  •,  one  Man  in  a  State  of 
Nature,  as  we  are  with  Refpecl  to  the  Inhabitants 
of  Guiney,  and  they  with  Refpedt  to  us,  is  not  iu- 
perior  to  another  Man,  nor  lias  any  Authority  or 
Dominion  over  him,  or  any  Right  to  lay  his  Com 
mands  upon  him  :  He  that  made  us,  made  them, 
and  all  of  the  fame  Clay :  We  are  all  the  Work-- 
rnanfhip  of  his  Hands,  and  he  hath  afligned  this 
Globe  to  the  human  Race,  to  dwell  upon  :  He 
hath  given  this  Earthy  in  common,-  to  the  Chil 
dren  of  Men. GOD  gave  to  Man  Dominion 

civet  the  Fijh  of  the  Sea,  and  over  the  Fowl  of  tke 
Air,  and  over  the  Cattle,  and,  over  all  the  Earth,  and 
ever  every  creeping  Thing  that  creepeth  upon  the  Earth, 
Gen.  i.  26;  but  not  to  any  one  Man  over  another  : 
Nor  can  one  Man,  on  any  Supposition  whatever, 
become  the  Property,  or  Part  of  the  Goods  or 
Eft  ate,  of  another  Man  ;  as  his  Horfe  or  his 
Dog  is. 

The  European  Whites,  and  the  African  Blacks, 
are  all  under  the  fame  Moral  Law,  the  eternal 
Law  of  Reafon,  which  GOD  hath  written  upon 
the  Table  of  Man's  Heart.  We  and  they  are 
Members  of  one  and  the  fame  great  Society, 
ipread  over  the  Face  of  the  whole  Earth,  under 
one  and  the  fame  Supreme  Law-giver  and  Judge  -9 

and 


[     39     3 

are  joined  together,  by  the  clofe  and  flrong 
Ties  of  human  Nature,  common  to  us  all  ;  and 
it  is  in  this  Bond  of  Humanity,  that  is  the  Foun 
dation  of  all  other  particular  Ties  and  Connections 
between  Men,  and  gives  Strength  to  them  all. 

A  Patriot,  or  a  Lover  of  his  Country,  is  a 

brave  Character  j    but  a  Lover  of  Mankind  is  a 
.braver-Character. 

Our  being  Chriftians  does  not  give  us  any 
•worldly  Superiority,  or  any  Authority  whatever, 
over  thofe  who  are  not  Chriftians.  CHRIST'S 
Kingdom  is  not  of  this  World  •,  neither  does 
Chriitianity  diffolve  or  free  us  from  the  Obliga 
tions  of  Juftice,  Equity,  and  Benevolence  to 
wards  our  Fellow  Creatures  of  the  fame  Species, 
•be  they  Jews,  Mahometans,  or  even  black-fkin'd 
•Heathens,  which  the  Law  of  Nature  lays  us  un 
der  -,  but,  on  the  contrary,  greatly  ftrengthens 
them.  The  Jews,  in  our  Saviour's  Time,  un- 
deritood  that  Precept,  Thou  {halt  love  thy  Neigh 
bour  as  thyfelf,  in  a  very  confined  Senfe,  as  re 
lating  only  to  their  own  Countrymen.  But  this 
Precept,  as  adopted  into  the  Chriftian  Religion, 
takes  in  all  Mankind.  By  our  Neighbour  we 
are  to  understand  every  Individual  of  the  human 
Species.  We  are  commanded  in  the  Gofpel, 
to  render  all  their  Dues,  and  to  do  unto  others,  as 
we  would  they  Jhould  do  unto  us,  to  b&  kind,  merci 
ful  and  compaffwnate,  to  be  r&ady  to  communicate, 
and  to  do  Good.  Which  Precept,  and  many  o- 
thers  to  the  fame  Purpote,  are  not  to  be  under- 
ilood,  in  fuch  a  narrow  Senfe,  as  if  they  related 
only  to  thole  who  are  of  the  fame  Religion  with 
ourfelves,  or  whofe  Skin  is  of  the  lame  Colour 
with  ours3  as  is  evident  from  ether  Precepts  of 

the 


[     40     ] 

the  Gofpcl.  We  are  commanded  to  do  Good  t9 
all,  especially  to  thofe  who  are  of  the  Houjhold  of 
Faith,  to  imitate  our  Heavenly  Father,  who  dceth 
Good  to  all,  and  whofe  tender  Mercies  are  over  all 

his  Works,  yea,   and  to  love  our  Enemies. Thefe 

Proportions  I  believe  no  body  would  have  refufed 
to  grant  ;  but  though  they  are  fo  evident  that  few 
will  exprefty  deny,  or  difpute  the  Truth  of  them, 
yet,  it  is  reafonable  to  fuppofe,  that  thofe  who 
are  concerned  in  the  Man-Trade,  do  not  allow 
themielves  to  think  on  thefe  Truths  impartially, 
ferioufly  to  confider  them,  and  lay  them  to  Heart ; 
but  that  on  the  contrary,  they  have,  fome  how 
or  other,  a  Kind  of  confuted  Imagination,  or 
half  formed  Thought,  in  their  Minds,  that  the 
Blacks  are  hardly  of  the  fame  Species  with  the 
white  Men,  but  are  Creatures  of  a  Kind  fome- 
what  inferior  :  I  fay  it  is  reafonable  to  fuppofe  fo  ; 
for  I  do  not  know  how  to  think  that  any  white 
Men  could  find  in  their  Hearts,  that  the  common 
Sentiments  of  Humanity  would  .permit  them  to 
treat  the  black  Men  in  that  cruel,  barbarous 
Manner  in  which  "they  do  treat  them,  did  they 
think  and  confider  that  thefe  have  rational  im 
mortal  Souls,  that  they  are  made  after  the  Image 
of  GOD,  as  well  as  tliemTelves,  and  that,  be  ing 
in  the  fame  Body,  they  have  the  fame  Paffions, 
Senfes  and  feelings,  as  they  have,  and  are  as  fuf- 
ceptible  of  Pain  and  Grief,  and  upon  the  fame 

Occafions,    as  they. Man-Healing  is  not  only 

unlawful 1  think    it  the   moft  atrocious,    de- 

reflate  Crime.  To  (teal  a  Horfe,  or  to  rob  a 
Man  on  the  Road  of  his  Money,  is  reckoned, 
among  us,  a  capital  Crime,  deferving  Death,  and 
is,  by  Law,  punifhable  with  Death.  What  then 

does 


r  41  ] 

does  he  defervc,    what  Punifhment  can  be  great 
enough   for  him,  who  Heals  a  Man,   a  Crime,    in 
Companion    with   which   Horfe-ftealing   or  rob 
bing  on  the  Highway  is  but  a  little  trifling  Fault,' 
quite  excufeable  and  venial.     Man-dealers   were,1 
by  the  Law  of  Mofss^  puniflied  with  Death.     H& 
that  ftealetb  a  Many    or  if  be  be  found  in  kis  Hand% 
he  Jhall  furely  be   put  to  Death,    Exod.   xxi.    16. 
And  in  the  New  Teftament,    i  Tim.  i.  i®.  Man- 
flealers   are   reckoned  amongft  the  very  word   of 
Men.     Can  any  Thing  be  more  cruel    and  bar 
barous,  than   to  feize  upon  human  Creatures,  and 
take  them  away  by  Force  from  their  native  Coun 
try,  fjjpm  their  Friends  and  Relations,   for  ever; 
Children  from  their  tender  Parents,   Parents  from 
their  dear  Children,   Women  from  their  beloved 
Hufbands,    and    Hufbands   from   their     beloved 
Wives,  and  drive  them,   like   Hogs,   to  Market, 
there  to  be  fold  for  Slaves  for  Life  ?    How  great 
mult   be  the  Miiery  thofe   poor  Creatures  are  in,, 
and  the   Agonies  of  Mind   they  feel,  when  they 
are   thus    carried   off  ;    ib  great,    that  to  relieve 
thernfelves,    fome    of  them  have   put  an  End  to 
their  Lives.      And  how  grievous,  how  diftrefTed, 
mufc  be  the  Condition  of  their  Friends  and  Rela 
tions,  who  are  deprived  of  them,  and  (hall  never 
fee  their  Faces  any  more  ?  It  is  horrid,  it  is  mock 
ing    to    think  of     fueh    Cruelty  and     Barbarity. 
"What  Monilers  in  Nature  then,    deilitute  of  all  . 
Humanity   and  Companion,  rnuft  they  be,  who 
are  guilty   of  it.     The  black  ,Men  have  the  fame 
natural  Affection  for  their  Kindred,  and  as  ftrang, 
as  we   have. To  fell  and   buy   human  Crea 
tures,,  without  their  Content,  yea  and  fore  againfl 
their   Will,    to  trade  in  Men,    as  you  would,  in 
brute   Creatures,    or  any  othe    Commodities,    b 

F  .re  ail1/. 


[      42       ] 

really  impious  as  well  as  cruel.  Man  is  a  noble 
Creature,  made  but  a  little  lower  than  the  An 
gels,  and  crowned  with  Glory  and  Honour.  He 
is  the  Offspring  of  GOD  ;  therefore  thus  to  de- 
bafe  him,  and  to  bring  him  down  upon  a  Level 
with  the  Brutes,  yea  with  Things  inanimate,  is 
great  Impiety,  it  is  an  high  Affront  offered  to 
him,  who  is  the  kind  and  merciful  Father  of  us 
all,  who  hath  made  of  one  Blood  all  Nations  of 
Men  to  dwell  on  the  Face  ot  the  Earth,  and 
hath  united  them  all  in  one  Body  by  the  Ties  of 
Nature.  It  is  likewife  an  Affront  put  upon  Man 
kind,  upon  the  whole  human  Race,  which  fhould 
raife  a  generous  Refentment  and  Indigna^ti  in 
the  Breafi  of  every  one  that  partakes  of  the  human 
Nature,  and  has  any  Notion  of  the  Dignity  of 
it,  or  any  Senfe  of  Humanity,  which  he  .  fhould 
exprefs  and  difcover  upon  all  proper  Occafions, 
and  in  all  proper  Ways.— And  I  think  the  Re 
ceiver,  in  this  Cafe,  will  appear  to  be  worfe,  to 
be  more  guilty,  in  ibme  Reipects,  than  the  bare 
Thief,  if  we  fairly  confider  the  Matter. 

It  is  evident,  that  the  Europeans,  in  fending 
Ships  yearly  to  the  Coaft  of  Africa,  to  buy  Slaves, 
without  enquiring  how  thofe  they  purchafe  them 
of  came  by  them,  do  encourage  thofe  Thieves, 
and  tempt  them  to  make  a  Practice  and  Trade  of 
Healing  their  own  Countrymen  ;  ioi  this  is  the 
fame  Thing  in  Effect,  as  if  they  were  to  tell  them 
in  fo  many  Words.  "  Ton  get  Men  ready  for  us, 
"  how  you  can,  and  we  will  take  them  off  ycur 
"  Hands"  Befides,  thofe  Men- merchants  not 
only  encourage  others  in  this  cruel  flagitious  Prac 
tice  of  Man-ftealing,  but  are  really  guilty  of  it 
themftlves.  You  will  obfer/e,  that  what  is  done 

by 


[     43     ] 

by  their  Command,  and  according  to  their  Or 
ders,  I  coniider  as  done  by  themfelves.  As  thofe 
poor  miferable  Creatures  were  ftolen,  thofe.  who 
did  fleal  them,  could  not  convey  any  Right  in 
them  to  others,  though  thefe  others  fliould  give 
ever  fo  much  in  Purchafe  of  them,  any  more  than 
if  they  had  them  for  nothing.  For  thofe  Purchaf- 
ers  then  to  deprive  them  of  their  Liberty,  and,  by 
Force,  keep  them  in  their  PoirefTion,  in  whom  they 
have  no  Right  (fuppofing  one  Man  could  be  the 
Property  of  another)  and  who  never  injured  them 
in  the  lead,  nor  forfeited  their  Liberty-,  to  keep 
them  in  Bonds,  and  carry  them  away  Captives,  is 
properly  fpeaking,  Man-fbealing.  And  what  ag 
gravates  this  Crime  in  the  European  Man-mer 
chants,  and  renders  it  much  more  heinous  in  them 
than  in  the  Africans ,  is,  that  the  former  enjoy  the 
Light  of  the  Golpel,  and  profefs  themfelves  to  be 
Chriilians. 

Man-dealing  is  a  Kind,  and  indeed  the  woril* 
Kind,  of  Sacrilege,  which  Connderation  farther 
fhews  the  Impiety  of  it.  Man  is  facred,  and  is, 
by  Nature,  devoted  to  the  Service  of  GOD,  to 
whole  Authority  alone  he  is  obliged  to  yield  an  ab- 
folute,  unlimited  Obedience;  for  one  Man  there 
fore  to  afiault  another,  and,  by  meer  Force,  to 
make  a  Captive  of  him,  not  for  any  Crime  that  he 
has  been  guilty  of,  but  to  make  a  Penny  of  him, 
confulering  him  as  Part  of  his  PofTeffions  or  Goods, 
with  which  he  can  do  what  he  pleafes,  is  robbing 
of  GOD,  which  is  Sacrilege. 

It  is  very  common  in  the  Countries^  where  the 
Europeans  carry  on  this  Trade,  for  the  petty  Kings 
and  Princes,  of  which  there  are  a  great  many,  to 
go  to  War.  with  their  Neighbours,  ngt  in  Defence 

of 


I     44    ] 

of  their  Right,  not  to  get  Satisfaction  for  any  In- 
juries  done  them,  or  to  repair  any  Damages  they 
have  unjuftly  fuffered  by  thofe  Neighbours,  but 
purely  to  get  Priibners  againft  the  Time  the  Ships 
from  Europe  arrive  upon  their  Coait,  that  with 
them  they  may  be  able  to  purchafe  of  the  Captains 
of  thofe  Ships  the  Goods  they  have  on  board. 

Now  here  the  Injury  and  Crime  is  the  fame  in 
Kind  as  in  the  former  Cafe,  and  indeed  greater  in 
the  Kind :  In  both  Cafes  it  is  ftealing  Man,  but  in 
the  latter  it  is  attended  with  fhed'ding  of  Blood, 
with  Slaughter  and  Deft-ruction  -,  which  Confidera- 
tion  doth  aggravate  the  Crime  of  our  Guiney  Mer 
chants,  who  purchafe  thofe  Prifoners.  CHRIST 
hath  faid,  that  blefled  are  the  Peace-makers^  fcr  they 
jhall  be  called  the  Children  of  GOD.  But  how  con 
trary  to  what  our  Saviour  recommends,  the  mak 
ing  of  Peace  among  Men,  is  the  Spirit  arid  Practice 
of  thofe,  who,  for  Lucre  Sake,  provoke  and  en 
courage  others  to  go  to  War  with  their  Neigh 
bours,  and  by  unjuft  Force  to  kill  and  deflroy 
Ibme,  and  others  of  them  to  make  JHfoners. 

But  let  us    now  fuppofe, that  the  Prifoners, 

which  are  bought,  were  even  engaged  in  an   un 
juft  War,  that  they  were  the  firft  Invaders  or  Ag- 

grefTors When  one  King  or  Prince   goes    to 

,War  with  another,  trie  common  Men  are  not  ca 
pable  of  judging  of  the  Merits  of  the  Caufe,  which 
Party  has  or  has  not  Right  of  their  Side;  but, 
laying  afide  this  Confideration,  they  are  forced  to 
go  whitherfoever  their  King  or  Captain  leads  them ; ' 
they  are  obliged  to  obey  his  Commands,  and  to 
defert  would  be  Death  to  them :  Therefore  I  think 
it  would  be  unjuft  and  .cruel,  in  him  who  comes  off 
COhqucror,  though  he  had  Right  of  his  Side,  and 

was 


t    45     ] 

was  engaged  in  ajuft  War,  to  deprive  thofe  com 
mon  Men,  who  are  taken  Prifoners,  of  their  Li 
berty,  after  the  War  is  over,  or  at  any  Time  to 
fell  them  for  Slaves  for  Life,  either  by  WTay  of 
Punifhment  or  Retribution,  unlefs  they  be  fuppof- 
edto  be  anfwerable  for  whatever  Damage  or  Inju 
ry  is  done  by  their  King,  or  that  they  are  his 
Goods  or  Property;  both  which  are  abiurd,  and 
the  latter  a  Suppofition  unworthy  of  human  Na 
ture,  and  fhocking  to  the  human  Mind;  confe- 
quently,  the  buying  of  them  for  fuch,  muft  be  al 
together  as  criminal  in  the  Europeans. 

It  is  reckoned  we  have  now  in  this  Kingdona 
Thirty  Thouiand  French  Prifoners,  or  more;  and 
we  fay,  that  in  the  War  we  are  carrying  on  againft 
France,  we  have  Right  on  our  Side;  that  we 
entered  into  it  for  the  Recovery  and  Defence  of 
our  Territories,  invaded  by  them;  but  though 
it  be  true  (as  I  believe  it  is)  that  our  Caufe  is 
good,  yet  would  it  not  be  cruel  and  inhuman  in 
us,  to  fell  thefe  Prifoners  into  Slavery  for  Life,  and 
in  any  other  Nation,  as  the  Spaniards,  for  Inftance, 
to  buy  them  of  us,  in  order  to  fend  them  to  work 
in  their  Mines  in  Peru,  as  long  as  they  live  ?  And 
would  not  all  the  other  Nadons  of  Europe  exclaim 
againft  us,  and  the  Spaniards,  as  inhuman,  bar 
barous  People,  for  fo  doing  ?  If  it  be  replied,  that 
fuch  a  Thing  would  be  contrary  to  Cuftom,  and 
to  the  Law  of  Nations  in  Europe,  whereas  in  Gui- 
ney  and  Negroeland  it  is  a  common  Cuflom,  to  fell 
for  Slaves  the  Prifoners  they  take  in  War;  there 
they  make  a  Trade  of  it.  I  own — - — that  may  be 
one  Reafon,  among  others,  why  fuch  a  Thing 
practifed  in  thole  Countries  is  not  looked  upont  by 
us  here,  with  fo  much  Abhorrence  and  Detefcatiow, 

as 


as  it  would  be  if  it  were  to  be  pra&ifed  in  Europe; 
But  this  makes  no  Difference,  as  to  the  Nature  of 
the  Thing  in  itfelf;  for  as  I  have  fhevvn  before, 
the  Man-trade  in  this  lad  mentioned  Cafe,  wherein 
the  Men  who  are  fold,  are  fuppofed  to  be  Frifa- 
ners,  -that  were  engaged  in  an  unjuft  War,  is  in 
itfelf  wicked  and  inhuman,  contrary  to  the  Law 
of  Nature,  the  Obligations  of  which  are  eternal 
and  unchangeable,  not  to  be  altered  or  diiannulled 
by  Ufe  or  Cuilom,  be  it  ever  fo  ancient  or  univer- 
fal;  they  are  the  fame  all  over  the  World,  the  fame 
in  Guiney,  or  Jamaica,  as  in  England. 
.  The  Captain  of  the  Guiney  Ship,  when  he  has 
finifhed  his  Marketing,  when  he  has  bought  as 
many  reaibnable  Creatures  as  he  wants,  and  is  full 
freighted,  having  on  board  (we  will  fay)  Two 
Hundred  of  them,  coupled  in  Irons,  and  clofely 
crammed  up  in  a  Ship  of  about  One  Hundred 
Tons  Burthen,  he  fets  out  for  one  of  our  Plantati 
ons, and  may  be  two  or  three  Months  on  the 

Voyage-,  during  which  Time,  from  the  Filth  and 
Stench  that  mult  be  among  them,  occafioned  by 
their  being  put  down  under  Deck,  and  penn'd  to 
gether  in  fo  little  Room,- Diftempers  break  out 

among  them,  and  carry  off  a  great  many,  a  Fifth, 
or  Fourth,  yea,  fometimes  a  third  Fart  or  them; 
and  it  is  realbaable  to  fuppofe,  that  fome  of  them 
have  their  Hearts  broke,  and  die  with  Grief  and 
Anguifh,  to  think  that  they  mall  never  more  fet 
Foot  on  their  native  Soil,  and  that  the  Eye  that 
hath  ieen  them,  fliall  fee  them  no  more.  I  remem- 
btr  I  read  an  Account  in  one  of  the  News- Papers 
Jail  Year-,  a  Ship,  belonging  to  Liverpool,  that  had 
a  Hundred  and  Ninety  Slaves  on  board,  Eighty  of 
whom  died  on  the  Voyage,  which  is  more  than 

two 


t     47    .1 

two  Fifths Taking  all  the  Slaves  together, 

that  are  brought  on  board  our  Ships  yearly,  from 
the  Coaft  of  Africa^  where  they  are  bought  by  our 
Giiiney  Merchants,  I  think  one  may  venture  to  af 
firm,  that,  at  leafr,  a  Tenth  Part  of  them  die  on 

the    Voyage;- -the    Merchants     are     certainly 

chargeable  with  taking  away  the  Lives  of  as  many 
of  thofe  poor  Creatures,  as  come  by  their  Death 
by  being  fo  confined  and  treated,  and  are  guilty 
of  Murder-,  for  to  take  away  a  Man's  Life,  un- 
juftly,  is  Murder  j  whether  it  be  done  in  two  or 
three  Minutes,  or  two  or  three  Months,  that 

makes  no  Difference. — I  do  not  think  it   nc- 

ceffary,  in  order  to  convict  a  Man  of  Murder,  to 
make  it  appear  that  he  had  an  Intention  to  commit 
Murder:  Whoever  does,  by  unjuft  Force  and  Vi 
olence,  deprive  another  of  his  Liberty,  and,  while 
he  has  him  in  his  Power,  reduces  him  to  fuch  a 
Condition,  and  gives  him  fuch  Treatment,  as  evi 
dently  endangers  his  Life,  and,  in  the  Event,  do 
actually  deprive  him  of  his  Life,  is  guilty  of  Mur 
der.  * By  the  Account  given  in  the  fecond 

Volume 

*  Thomas  Philips,  in  his  Account  of  a  Voyage  he  performed 
to  Guimy,  and  from  thence  to  Earbadoes  with  a  Cargo  of 
Slaves,  i elates,  That  they  took  Seven  Hundred  Slaves  oa 
board;  when  they  were  brought  in  the  Veflel,  the  Men  were 
all  put  in  Irons  two  and  two  fhackled  together,  to  prevent  their 
mutinying,  or  fwimming  Afirore.  The  Negroes,  fays  he, 
"  Are  fo  loath  to  leave  their  own  Country,  that  they  have  of- 
"  ten  leaped  out  of  the  Canow,  Boat  and  Ship,  into  the  Sea, 
"  and  kept  under  Water  til)  they  were  drowned,  ;o  avoid  be* 
"  ing  taken  up,  and  favccl  by  the  Beats  which  purfue  them 

They  had  about  twelve  Negroes  who  wiliingly 

drowned  themfelves;  others  ilarved  themfelves  to  Death — - — 

Philips  was  advifcd  to  cutoff  the  Leggs   and  Arms  of 

fome  to  terrify  the  reft ;  (as  other  Captains  had  done)  but  this 
he  refilled  to  do :  From  the  Time  of  his  taking  the  Negroes  rrr 

board 


[     48     ] 

Volume  of  the  Compkat  Syftem  of  Geography,  the 
Number  of  Negroes  brought  away  by  the  Englifhy 
in  the  Year  1725,  appeared  to  be  about  Fifty 

Thoufand. We  will  fuppofe  that  the  Number 

of  Negroes  purchafed  by  our  Guiney  Merchants, 
one  Year  with  another,  are  no  more  than  Thirty- 
five  Thoufand :  Now,  in  the  Account  given  by 
that  Author  of  the  Negroes  in  our  Plantations,  it  is 
faid,  that,  in  the  Ifland  of  Jamaica,  almoit  Half 
of  the  new  imported  Negroes  die  in  the  Seaibning, 
and  that,  in  Rarbadotsy  it  is  reckoned  that  a  fourth 
Part  die  in  Sealoning-,  and,  according  to  the  fame 
Account,  there  are  twice  as  many  imported  into 
thefe  two  lilands,  as  into  all  our  other  Iflands  in 
the  V/ejl -Indies,  and  all  our  Colonies  in  North- Ame 
rica.  At  a  moderate  Computation,  therefore,  it 
may  be  reckoned,  that  of  all  thole  who  are  pur- 
chafed  by  our  African  Merchants  in  a  Year, 
Twelve  Thoufand  die  upon  the  Voyage,  and  in 
the  Seaibning.  What 

board  to  his  arrival  at  Earlr.dccs,  nolefs  than  Three  Kundrel 
and  Twenty  died  of  various  Difeales.  Which  the  Author  lays, 
Was  to  their  great  Regret,  after  enduring  much  Mifery  and 
Stench  fo  io'ig  among  a  Parcel  of  Creatures,  naRier  than 
Swine  :  No  Gold-finder,  fays  Philips,  can  fuffer  fuch  noifome 
Drudgery  as  they  do  who  carry  Negroes,  having  no  refpite 
froai  their  AiHl&ions  fo  long  as  any  of  their  Slaves  are 
alive." 

How  unreafonable  is  it  in  Philips,  thus  to  reflect  on  the 
Slacks,  could  inch  a  Number  be  crouded  together  in  fo  warm 
a  Climate,  even  if  they  had  all  been  healthy,  without  being 
extremely  ofTcnfive  :  How  much  more  when  fo  many  ]ay  fick,. 
dead  and  dying.  He  fpea-ks  of  the  Englijh  People's  great  Suf 
ferings  by  Nailinefs,  Stench,  &c.  but  he  forgets  the  Suife- 
rings  of  the  poor  Blacks,  which  muft  have  been  incomparably 
greater  than  theirs ;  not  to  mention  the  painful  Sorrow  and 
anxiety  of  Mirid  tliefe  dijftreiTed  Creatures  mutt  have  laboured 
under. 


[    49    ] 

What  a  fad  dreadful  Affair  then  is  this  Man-' 
Trade,  whereby  fo  many  Thoufands  of  our  Fel 
low  rational  Creatures  lofe  their  Lives,  are,  truly 
and  properly  fpeaking,  murdered  every  Year ;  I 
do  not  think  there  is  an  Inftance  of  fo  great  Bar 
barity  and  Cruelty  carried  on  in  any  Part  of.  the 
World,  as  is  this,  Year  after  Year.  It  is  enough 
to  make  one  tremble,  to  think  what  a  Load  of 
Guilt  lies  upon  this  Nation,  on  this  Account,  and 
that  the  Blood  of  Thoufands  of  poor  innocent 
Creatures,  murdered  every  Year,  in  carrying  on 
this  curfed  Trade,  cry  aloud  to  Heaven  for  Ven 
geance.  *  Were  we  to  hear  or  read  of  any  other 
Nation  in  the  World  that  did  deftroy  every  Year, 
in  fome  other  Way,  or  on  fome  other  Account, 
as  many  human  Creatures  as  are  deftroyed  by  this 

G  Trade, 

*  In  the  Collection  of  Voyages,  John  Atkins >  Surgeon  on 
board  Admiral  Og/e's  Squadron,  in  his  Expedition  on  the 
Coaft  of  Guinea,  relates,  That  at  Sierra  Leona,  the  white  Men 
who  were  private  Traders  there  were  about  thirty  in  Number  ; 
the  Character  he  gives  of  them  was,  that  they  were  loofe  pri 
vateering  Blades,  who,  if  they  could  not  trade  fairly  with  the 

Natives  would  rob — of  thefe  John  Lead/lone  was  reckoned 

the  moft  triving.  The  Author  obferves  that  the  Slaves  this 
Leadftone  had  to  fell  appeared  much  deje&ed,  he  particularly 
obferved  one,  named  'Tomba^  who  had  been  a  Leader  of  fome 
Country  Villages,  this  Negro  feemed  to  difdain  the  other 
Slaves  for  their  readinefs  to  be  examined  ;  and  fcorned  to  look 
at  the  Buyers,  refufing  to  rife  and  ftretch  out  his  Limbs  as  the 
Mailer  commanded.  This  got  him  an  unmerciful  Whipping 
from  Leadftone 's  own  Hand ;  who,  Atkins  fays,  would  have 
certainly  killed  him,  but  for  the  Lofs  he  muft  have  fuflained 
by  it.  The  Negro  bore  it  all  with  Magnaminity,  Ihrinking  ve 
ry  little,  but  ihed  a  Tear  or  two,  which  he  endeavoured  to 
hide. 

In  the  Courfe  of  their  Voyage  Atkins  met  with  aVeffel  from 
Briftol,  commanded  by  one  Harding^  who  had  purchafed  thir 
ty  Slaves,  of  which  Number,  the  above  mentioned  Tcmla  was 


[     50     ] 

Trade,  we  fhould  look  upon  them  as  a  very  bloody, 
cruel,  barbarous  People.  We,  to  this  Day,  ex 
claim  againft  the  Cruelty  of  the  Spaniards^  in  d$- 
ftroying  fo  many  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Mexico  and 
Peru^  when  they  unjuftly  invaded  thofe  Countries, 
though  it  is  a  Queftion,  whether  the  Englijh  have 
notdeflroyed  as  many  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Africa, 
fince  the  Commencement  of  this  villainous  Man- 
Trade  among  us,  and  of  our  Fopifh  Queen  Maryy 
whofe  Reign  is  looked  upon  as  the  moft  cruel  and 
inhuman  of  any  in  all  the  Englijh  Hiilory,  though 
there  were  not  above  Three  Hundred  burnt,  for 
Herefy,  in  the  five  Years  of  her  Reign,  and 
you  know  that  the  Papifts  believe,  or  pro- 
fefs  to  believe,  that  they  ought  to  put  He- 
reticks  to  Death,  at  lead  they  did  then  :  Where 
as 

one.     Captain  Harding  gave  them   the  following  melancholy 

Account,  -viz. .That   this   Tomba   had    combined  with 

three  of  the  ftouteft  of  his  Country  Men,  and  a  Woman,  to 
deftroy  the  white  Men,  in  order  to  get  their  Freedom ;  that 
one  Night  he  went  upon  Deck  to  put  his  Defign  in  Execution, 
being  accompanied  by  one  Man  and  the  Woman,  who  were 
all  he  could  engage  to  follow  him,  where  finding  three  Sailors 
on  the  Forecaftie,  he  prefently  difpatched  two  by  fmgle  Strokes 
on  the  Temples  (with  a  Hammer  the  Woman  had  gi 
ven  him)  the  other  Man  roufmg  with  the  Noife,  his  Compa 
nions  feized,  and  Tcmba  killed  him  in  the  fame  Manner:  But 
two  other  Sailors  taking  the  Alarm,  flood  upon  their  Defence, 
which  foon  awaked  the  Mafter  underneath,  who  running  up, 
took  a  Handfpike,  and  felling  Tomba  with  it,  fecured  them  all 
in  Irons.  The  Reader,  fays  Atkins,  may  be  curious  to  know 
their  Ptmiihment  :  "  Why,  Captain  Harding,  weighing  the 
Stoutnefs  and  Worth  of  the  two  Slaves,  did,  as  in  other 
Countries  they  do  by  Rogues  of  Dignity,  whip  and  fcarify 
them  only;  while  three  other  Abettors  (but  not  Aclors, 
nor  of  Strength  for  it)  he  fentenced  to  cruel  Deaths,  mak 
ing  them  firft  eat  the  Heart  and  Liver  of  one  of  them  he 
killed.  The  Woman  he  hoifted  by  the  Thumbs,  whipped, 
and  flamed  her  with  Knives,  before  the  other  Slaves  till  fne 
died.''  7 be 


I  51  .1 

as  the  Englijh  have,  for  many  Years   pad,  put  to 
Death  Ten  or  Twelve  Thoufand  a  Year,  in    car 
rying  on  this  Trade,   which  they  ftill  continue  for 
the  Sake  of  getting  Money,  and  furnifhing  them, 
felves  with  the  Superfluities  of  Life,  which  fhews 
a  greater  Degree  of  Barbarity ;  and  many  of  thofe 
poor  Wretches  have  endured  more  Pain,  before 
they   died,  than   thofe   Hereticks    did    in     being 
burnt.     There  is  nothing  that  Ihews  the  Degene 
racy   of    Mankind     more,  that    calls     a   greater 
Blemifh  on   human    Nature,    or  expofes    it  in  a 
more  diiadvantageous  Light,  than  this  Confidera- 
tion,  that    whole  Nations,  Chriftians  as   well    as 
Heathens,  profefs    to  believe  the  greateil  Abfur- 
dities    and    Contradictions,  and  juftify  the    molt 

wicked  and  vileft   Practices. If  it  be   faid  that 

I  charge    the  Legiflature becaufe  they  have 

encouraged,  and  itill  do  encourage,  this    Trade, 

- what  I  have  afferted.  I  think  I  can  defend. 

No 

The  fallowing  Relation  is    inferted  at  the  Requeft  of  tie    Author ', 
a  Per  Jon   whofe  Candour  may  be  depended  upon. 

*  J""ir* HAT  I  may  contribute  all  in  my  Power  towards  the 
"  Good  of  Mankind,  by  infpiriug  ary  of  its  Indi 
viduals  with  a  fuitabie  Abhorence  for  that  deteftable  Prac 
tice  of  trading  ia  our  Fellow-Creatures,  and  in  fome  Mea- 
fure  atone  for  my  Neglect  of  Duty  as  a  Chriftian,  in  en 
gaging  in  that  wicked  Traffic,  I  offer  to  their  ferions  Con- 
fideration  fome  few  Occurrences  of  which  I  was  an  Eye- 
witnefs.  That  being  ftruck  with  the  wretched  and  aiFecting 
Scene  they  may  fofter  that  humane  Principle,  which  is  the 
noble  and  diltinguifh'd  Charecieriftic  of  Man,  and  improve 
it  to  the  Benefit  of  their  Children's  Children. 
"  About  the  Year  1 749,  I  fail'd  from  Liverpool  to  the  Coaft 
of  Guinea :  Some  Time  after  our  arrival  I  was  ordered  to 
go  up  the  Country  a  considerable  Diflance ;  upon  having 

"  Notice 


Legiilature  on  Earth,  which  is  the  Su 
preme  Power  in  every  civil  Society,  can  alter  the 
Nature  of  Things,  or  make  that  to  be  lawful 
which  is  contrary  to  the  Law  of  GOD,  the  Su 
preme  Legiflator  and  Governor  of  the  World. 
Mifchief  may  be  framed,  and  eftablifhed  by  a 
Law,  but  if  it  be,  it  is  Mifchief  Hill,  as  much  Ib 
as  it  was  before  it  was  eftablifhed,  though  its  be 
ing  fo  may  make  Men  infenfible  of  their  Guilt, 
or  bold  and  fearlefs  in  the  Prepetration  of  it,  for 
too  many,  among  Chriftians,  are,  contrary  to 
CHRIST'S  Exhortation,  more  influenced  by  the 

Fear  of  Man,  than  by  the  Fear  of  GOD. -It  is 

really  a  ferious  Subject,  and  I  own  it  raifes  a  feri- 
ous  Concern  in  my  Mind,  that  fuch  Barbarity 
fhould  be  fuffered  in  Chriflian  Nations.  It  'is 
enough  to  make  a  Man's  Heart  ach,  unlefs  he 

has 

*'  Notice  from  one  of  the  Negro  Kings,  that  he  had  a  Parcel 
"  of  Slaves  to  difpofe  of;  I  received  my  Inductions,  and 
went,  carrying  with  me  an  Account  of  fuch  Goods  we  had 
on  board  to  exchange  for  the  Slaves  we  intended  to  pur- 
chafe.  Upon  being  introduced,  I  prefented  him  with  a 
fmall  Cafe  of  Englijh  Spirits,  a  Gun,  and  fome  Trifles, 
which  having  accepted,  and  underftood  by  an  Interpreter 
what  Goods  we  had,  the  next  Day  was  appointed  for  view 
ing  the  Slaves;  we  found  about  two  Hundred  confined  in 
one  Place.  But  here  how  fhall  I  relate  the  affecting  Sight  I 
there  beheld  ?  How  can  I  diffidently  defcribe  the  lilent  Sor 
row  which  appeared  in  the  Countenance  of  the  afflicted  Fa 
ther,  and  the  painful  Anguifh  of  the  tender  Mother,  ex- 
peeling  to  be  forever  feperated  from  their  tender  Offspring ; 
the  diftreffed  Maid  wringing  her  Hands  in  Prefage  of  her 
future  Wretchednefs,  and  the  general  Cry  of  the  Innocent 
from  a  fearful  Apprehenfion  of  the  perpetual  Slavery  to 
which  they  were  doomed.  Under  a  Senfe  of  my  Offence 
"  to  Got),  in  the  Perfon  of  his  Creatures;  I  acknowledge 
"  I  purchafed  eleven,  who  I  conducted  ty'd,  two  and  two  to 
«f  the  Ship.  Being  but  a  fmall  Yeflel  (ninety  Ton)  we  foon 

«'  purchafed 


[    53    1 

has  loft  all  Love  and  Regard  to  his  Kind,  to  think 
that  fo  many  Thoufands  of  the  human  Race 
mould  be  facrificed  every  Year  to  that  greedy  vo 
racious  God  Mammon. 

Nor  is  it  lefs  mocking  to  hear  or  read  the  Ac 
counts  we  have  of  the  barbarous  Treatment  that 
thofe  black  Men,  who  ftand  and  furvive  the  Sea- 
foning,  as  it  is  called,  meet  with.  According  to 
the  Accounts  in  the  forementioned  Author,  it  is 
inhuman  and  unmerciful. 

Sir  Hans  Sloan,  in  his  Hiflory  of  Jamaica,  fays ; 
"  That  a  rebellious  Negroe,  or  he  that  twice  flrikes 
"  a  white  Man,  is  condemned  to  the  Flames-,  be- 
"  ing  chained  flat  on  his  Belly,  at  the  Place  of 
"  Execution,  and  his  Arms  and  Legs  extended, 
"  Fire  is  then  fet  to  his  Feet,  and  he  is  burnt  gra- 
"  dually  up  to  his  Head.  They  flarve  others  to 

"  Death, 

"  purchafed  our  Cargo,  confiding  of  one  Hundred  and  feven- 
"  tyMaves,  whom  thou  may 'ft  Reader  range  in  thy  View, 
"  as  they  were  fhackled  two  and  two  together,  pent  up  with- 
"  in  the  narrow  Confines  of  the  main  Deck,  with  the  compli- 
"  cated  Diftrefs  of  Sicknefs,  Chains  and  Contempt;  deprived 
**  of  every  fond  and  focialTie,  and  in  a  great  Meafure  reduc-. 
"  edto  a  State  of  Defparation.  We  had  not  been  aFortnight 
"  at  Sea,  before  the  fatal  Confequence  of  thisDifpair  appear- 
"  ed;  they  formed  a  Defign  of  recovering  their  natural  Right, 
"  Liberty,  by  railing  and  murdering  every  Man  on  board, 
"  but  the  Goodnefs  of  the  Almighty  rendered  their  Scheme 
"  abortive,  and  his  Mercy  fpared  us  to  have  Time  to  repent* 
"  The  Plot  was  difcovered ;  the  Ringleader  ty'd  by  the  two 
"  Thumbs  over  the  Barricade  Door,  at  Sun-rife  received  a 
"  Number  of  Lafhes,  in  this  Situation  he  remained  till  Sun- 
"  fet,  expofed  to  the  Infults  and  Barbarity  of  the  brutal  Crew 
"  of  Sailors,  with  full  Leave  to  exercife  their  Cruelty  at  Plea- 
"  fure.  The  Confequence  of  this  was,  that  next  Morning 
"  the  miferable  Sufferer  was  found  dead,  flead  from  the 
"  Shoulders  to  the  Waift.  The  next  Victim  was  a  Youth, 
.<•'  who,  from  too  ftrong  a  Senfe  of  his  Mifery  refufed  Nou- 

"  rimment, 


I     54    1 

<c  Death,  with  a  Loaf  hanging  before  their 
"  Mouths,  fo  that  fome  gnaw  the  very  Flefh  off 
"  their  own  fhoulders,  and  expire  with  all  the 
"  frightful  Agonies,  expreiTing  the  moft  horrid 
ec  Tortures.  For  Crimes  of  a  lefs  Nature,  they 
"  geld  the  Offender,  and  chop  off  Half  of  his 
"  Foot  with  an  Ax-,  for  Negligence  only,  they 
<c  whip  him  till  his  Back  is  raw,  and  then  fcatter 
"  Pepper  and  Salt  on  his  Wounds,  to  heighten 
"  the  Smart  -9  and  fome  Planters  will  drop  melted 
"  Wax  on  their  Skins,  which  puts  them  to  into- 
"  lerable  Pain."  Now  muil  not  the  human  Na 
ture,  in  thofe  People,  be  changed  into  the  Devi- 
lifh,  who  can  put  thefe  poor  Creatures  to  fuch 
Torments? It  is  obferved  by  the  fame  Au 
thor,  that  "  Some  excufe  thefe  Severities  by  tel- 

"  ling 

"  rifhment,  and  died;  difregarded  and  unnoticed,  till  the 
"  Hogs  had  fed  on  Part  of  his  Flefh.  Will  not  ChrifHanity 
et  blufh  at  this  impious  Sacriledge  ?  May  the  Relation  of  it 
et  ferve  to  call  back  the  ftruggling  Remains  of  Htimanity,  in 
«e  the  Heart  of  thofe  who  from  a  Love  of  Wealth,  partake 
*'  in  any  Degree  with  this  oppreflive  Gain,  and  have  fuch  an 
"  Effect  on  the  Minds  of  the  Sincere,  as  may  be  productive  of 
* f  Peace,  the  happy  Effeft  of  true  Repentance  for  paft  Tranf- 
te  greffions,  and  a  Refolution  to  renounce  all  Connextion  with 
"  it  for  the  Time  to  come." 

W.  F. 

Noteherearifesa  jufland  nece/Tary  Query.  How  does  our£n- 
plijh  Law  (fo  truly  valuable  for  its  Mercy  and  Equity)  over- 
Took  thefe  barbarous  Deaths  of  the  unhappy  Africans^  without 
Tryal,  or  due  Proof  of  their  being  guilty ;  or  of  their  Crimes 
being  adequate  to  their  puniihment  ?  Why  are  thofe  Mailers 
of  VefTels  (who  are  often  not  the  moft  tender  and  coniiderate 
of  Men)  thus  fuffered  to  be  the  fovereign  Arbiters  of  the 
Lives  of  themiferable  Negroes ;  and  allowed  (with  Impunity) 
to  deftroy  their  fellow  Creatwres,  and,  that,  by  Means  fo  cruel 
as  cannot  be,  even  related,  but  with  Shame  and  Horror 


[    55    3 

sc  ling  us,  that  the  Blacks^  being  fo  perverfe,  fill- 
"  len,  and  mifchievous  a  Generation,  deferve  fuch 
"  Treatment,  and  that  milder  Ufage  would  not 

"  reclaim  them." It  is  no  Wonder  they  are 

fullen  ;  would  not  white  Men  be  fo,  were  they  in 
their  Condition,  and  treated  as  they  are?  No 
Doubt  but  they  would.  But  the  Blacks^  though 
they  be  unjuftly  deprived  of  their  Liberty,  banifh- 
ed  from  their  native  Country,  from  all  their 
Friends  and  Relations,  and  made  Captives  and 
Slaves  for  Life,  though  they  are  treated  worfe  than 
Dogs,  and  made  to  work  harder  than,  Horfes,  yet 
they  ought  to  be  pleafant,  good  Jh  iimoured,  and 
obliging  to  them  that  do  thus  tn  it  them;  and,  if 
they  be  not,  they  mould  be  put  to  Pain  and  Tor 
ment.  *  And  they  are,  it  feems,  a  mifchievous 
Generation,  apt  to  mutiny  and  rebel;  that  is,  in 

Truth 

*  The  Iniquity  of  the  Slave-Trade  is  greatly  aggravated  by 
the  Inhumanity  with  which  the  Negroes  are  treated  in  the 
Plantations,  as  well  with  refpeft  to  Food  and  Cloathing,  as 
from  the  unreafonable  Labour  which  is  commonly  exacted  from 
them.  To  which  may  be  added  the  cruel  Chafiifements  they 
frequently  fuffer,  without  any  other  Bounds  than  the  Will  and 
Wrath  of  their  hard  Tafk-M afters.  In  Barladoes,  and  fome 
other  of  the  Iflands,  fix  Pints  of  Indian  Corn  and  three  Her 
rings,  are  reckoned  a  full  Weeks  Allowance  for  a  working 
Slave,  and  in  the  Syftem  of  Geography,  it  is  faid,  "  That  in 
*f  Jamaica  the  Owners  of  tie  Negroe  Staves,  fet  aft de  for  each  a 
<(  Parcel  of  Ground,  and  allow  them  Sundays  fo  mAnure  if,  the 
tc  Produce  cf  which ,"  with  fometimes  a  few  Herrings,  or  other 
fait  Fifh,  "  it  aH  that  is  allowed  for  their  Support"  Their 
Allowance  for  Cloathing  in  the  Iflands  is  feldom  more  than 
fix  Yards  of  Ofenbrigs  each  Year:  And  in  the  more  northern 
Colonies,  where  the  piercing  wefterly  Winds  are  long  and 
fenfibly  felt,  thefe  poor  Africans  fuffer  much  for  want  of  fuffi- 
cient  Cloathing,  indeed  fome  have  none  till  they  are  able  to 
pay  for  it  by  their  Labour.  The  Time  that  the  Negroes  work 
in  'the  Weji^lndies^  is  from  Day-break  till  Noon ;  then  again. 

from 


[     56,] 

Truth,  they  want  to  recover  their  Liberty,  and 
would  attempt  to  do  it,  if  they  were  not  kept  in 
Awe  by  hard  Ufage,  and  fevere  Difcipline.  In 
the  Account  of  Jamaica,  we  are  told  that  the  Ne 
groes,  when  firft  brought  hither  from  Guinea,  are 
very  fimple,  innocent  Creatures,  but  foon  turn 
roguiih,  and  when  they  come  to  be  whipp'd,  urge 

the 

from  two  o'Clock  till  dufk:  (during  which  Time  they  are 
attended  by  Overfeers,  who  feverely  fcourge  thofe  who  ap 
pear  to  them  dilatory)  And  before  they  are  fullered  to  go  to 
their  Quarters,  they  have  ftill  fomething  to  do,  as  collecting 
of  Herbage  for  tn^Horfes,  gathering  Fuel  for  the  Boilers,  &?<•. 
fo  that  it  is  often  hfc'f  paft  Twelve  before  they  can  get  Home, 
when  they  have  fca  ;  Time  to  grind  and  boil  their  Indian 
Corn  ;  whereby  it  often  happens  that  they  are  called  again  to 
Labour  before  they  can  fatisfy  their  Hunger  :  And  here  no 
Delay  or  Excufe  will  avail,  for  if  they  are  not  in  the  Field 
ammediately  upon  the  ufual  Notice,  they  Kiuft  expect  to  feel 
the  Overfeers  Lam.  In  Crop-time  (which  lafts  many  Months) 
they  are  obliged  (by  Turns)  to  work  moft  of  the  Night, 
in  the  boiling  Houfe.  Thus  their  Owners,  from  a  Defire 
of  making  the  greateft  Gain  by  the  Labour  of  their  Slaves,  lay 
heavy  Burdens  upon  them,  and  ytt  feed  and  clothe  them  very 
fparingly,  and  fome  fcarcefeed  or  clothe  them  at  all,  fo  that  the 
poor  Creatures  are  obliged  to  fliift  for  their  Living  in  the  belt 
Manner  they  can,  which  occafions  their  being  often  killed  in. 
the  neighbouring  Lands,  Healing  Potatoes,  or  other  Food  to 
fatisfy  their  Hunger.  And  if  they  take  any  Thing  from  the 
Plantation  they  belong  to,  tho*  under  fuch  preffing  Want,  yet 
their  Owners  will  correct  them  feverely,  for  taking  a  little  of 
•what  they  have  fo  hardly  laboured  for,  whilft  they  themfelves 

jiot  in  the  greateft  Luxury  and  excefs.- It  is  a  Matter  of 

Aftonimment  how  a  People  who,  as  a  Nation,  are  looked  up 
on  as  generous  and  human,  and  fo  much  value  themfelves  for 
their  uncommon  Senfe  of  the  Benefit  of  Liberty,  can  live  in 
the  Practice  of  fuch  extreme  Oppreflion  and  Inhumanity,  with 
out  feeing  the  Inconfiftency  of  fuch  Conduct,  and  without 
feeling  great  Remorfe :  Nor  is  it  lefs  amazing  to  hear  thefe 
Men  calmly  making  Calculations  about  the  Strength  and 
Lives  of  their  fellow  Men ;  in  Jamaica,  if  fix  in  ten,  of  the 

new 


[     57    1 

the  Example  of  the  Whites  for  their  Excufe. 
Whereas,  in  that  of  Barbados^  the  fame  Author 
fays;  "  That  the  Mailers  of  the  Negroes  are 
"  obliged  to  treat  them  very  feverely,  not  only 
"  becaufe  of  the  ftubborn,  treacherous  Temper, 
"  which  is  fo  peculiar  to  all  of  their  Complexion 
"  and  Country,  but  becaufe  they  are  three  times 
"  the  Number  of  the  Whites  in  this  Ifland,  and 
"  have  made  frequent  Attempts  to  get  the  Maf- 
"  tery;"  that  is,  their  Liberty,  or  to  deliver 
themfelves  out  of  the  miferable  Slavery  they 

are  in. But  how  come  they  to  be  three  times 

the  Number  of  the  Whites  in  this  Ifland  ?  Is  it  not 
owing  to  the  white  Inhabitants,  to  their  purchaf- 
ing  them,  and  keeping  them  in  Bondage  ?  How 
weak  then  is  this  Excufe  ?  Where  is  the  Senfe  of 
afllgning  this  Majority,  which  is  of  their  owa 

H  procuring, 

new  imported  Negroes  furvive  the  Seafoning,  it  is  looked  up 
on  as  a  gaining  Purchafe :  And  in  moil  of  the  other  Plantati 
ons,  if  the  Negroes  live  eight  or  nine  Years,  their  Labour  is 
reckoned  a  fufficient  Compeniation  for  their  Coft.— —If 
Calculations  of  this  Sort  were  made  upon  the  Strength  and 
Labour  of  Beafts  of  Burden  it  would  net  appear  fo  flrange, 
but  even  then,  a  merciful  Man  would  certainly  ufe  his  Beaft 
with  more  Mercy  than  is  ufually  {hewn  to  the  poor  Ne 
groes.- Will  not  the  Groans,  the  dying  Groans  of 

this  deeply  afflicted  and  opprefled  People  reach  Heaven,  and 
when  the  Cup  of  Iniquity  is  full,  muft  not  the  inevitable  Con- 
fequence  be  pouring  forth  of  the  Judgments  of  GOD  upon 
their  Opprerfbrs.  But,  Alas!  is  it  not  too  manifeit  that  this 
Oppreflion  has  already  long  been  the  Object  of  the  divine 
Difpleafure ;  for  what  heavier  Judgment,  what  greater  Cala 
mity  can  befall  any  People,  than  to  become  a  Prey  to  that 
hardnefs  of  Heart,  that  Forgetfulnefs  of  GOD,  and  Infenfibi- 
lity  to  every  religious  Imprefiion  ;  as  well  as  that  general  De 
pravation  of  Manners,  which  fo  much  prevails  in  the  Colo 
nies,  in  Proportion  as  they  have  more  or  lefs  enriched  them 
felves,  at  the  Expence  of  the  Blood  and  Bondage  of  the 
Negroes, 


[     53     ] 

procuring,  as  a  Reafon  for  their  treating  the  Blacks 

with  fuch  Severity  ? —We  have  alfo  an  Account 

from  that  Author,  of  thofe  Plots  laid  by  the  Blacks 
in  Antigua,  but   which   were    difcovered   by  the 
Whites,  before  they   could   be  brought  to  bear, 
and  of  the  horrid  Executions  which  followed  upon 
the  Difcovery,     "  The  King,  that  is,  he  who  was 
"  to  have  been  King  of  the  Blacks,  had  the  Plot 
"  fucceeded,    and  his   two    Generals,    with   two 
"  others,  were  all  broke  on   a  Wheel  (that   is, 
a  their  Bones  were  broke  with  an  Iron  Bar  whilft 
"  alive.)     Four  more  of  the  principal  Confpirators  , 
"  were  burnt  the  fame  Day  •,  as  were  feven  on  the 
"  next  Day.     Six  were  hung   alive  in  Chains  on 
"  Gibbets,  and  ftarvcd  to  Death ;  after  which  their 
"  Heads  were  cutoff,  and  their  Bodies  burnt;  and 
"  Fifty-eight     others   were,    at    feveral    Times, 
"  chained  to  Stakes,  and  burnt  alive."     Now,  was 
not  this  a  lamentable  Affair  (and  there  have  been 
feveral  Inftances  of  fuch  Cruelty  in  our  Plantations) 
that  fo  many  poor  Creatures  fhould  be  put  to  the 
greateft  Tortures,  and  be  made  to  fuffer  the  mod 
painful  Deaths.     Some  of  the  French   Prifoners  in 
England,  whofe  Condition  is  far  preferable  to.  that 
of  moil  of  the  Slaves  in  our  Colonies,  have  at 
tempted  to  break  out  of  Prifon,  but,  being  difco 
vered  in  Time,    failed  in  their  Attempt.      Now 
fhould  not  we  have  been  reckoned,  by    all  the 
World,  a  cruel  barbarous  People,  if  the   Govern 
ment  had  ordered  fome  of  them  to  be  broke  on  the 
Wheel,  fome  to  be  burnt  alive,  and  others  to  be 
ftarved  to  Death,  though  the  French  are  our  Ene 
mies,  and  are  engaged  in  an  unjuftWar  againft 
us-,  whereas  thofe  Slaves  had  never  done  any  Hurt 
or  Injury  to  thofe  who  torture  them  to  Death.-- — 

We 


[    59    1 

We  reckon  ourfelves  to  be  a  brave,  generous,  hu 
mane  civilized  People; —but  is  this  a  true 

Character,  while  that  barbarous,  favage  Man- 
Trade,  in  the  carrying  on  of  which  fo  many  Thou- 
fand  Lives  are  facrificed  every  Year,  is  not  only 
winked  at,  but  countenanced  and  incouraged 

amongfl   us. There   are    other   Nations  in 

Europe^  beiidesours,  concerned  in  this  Trade,  but 
that  does  not  leflen  the  Guilt  in  our  People,  tho* 
it  may  keep  them  in  Countenance  •,  but  the  Englifh 
are  now  more  concerned,  I  believe,  than  all  the 
other  Nations  in  Europe^  taken  together,  in  this 
abominable  Trade,  which  is  the  greateft  Scandal 
and  Reproach  that  lies  upon  this  Nation ;  the  re 
moving  of  which,  by  proclaiming  Liberty  to  thofe 
Captives  now  in  our  Plantations,  making  them 
Freemen,  and  prohibiting  for  ever,  upon  the 
fevereft  Penalties,  the  Man-Trade  throughout  all 
His  Majefty's  Dominions,  and  thereby  leading  the 
Way,  and  giving  a  good  Example  to  the  other  Na 
tions  in  Europe^  concerned  in  the  Man-Trade, 
would  be  much  to  the  Honour  of  our  Government, 
and  I  am  fure  would  give  great  Pleafure  to  all  who 
are  Lovers  of  Mankind,  and  have  a  Regard  for 
the  Honour*  Safety,  and  Profperity  of  their  Coun 
try.— It  is  objected,  that  if  the  Englijh  v/ere  to 

drop  this  Trade  entirely,  it  would  be  immediately 
thereupon  carried  on  by  other  Nations,  to  a  much 
greater  Degree  than  it  now  is.— ^ — Perhaps  that 
might  be  the  Coniequence,  and  if  it  Ihould,  they 
rnuft  be  anf\verable  for  that,  the  Guilt  and  Scandal 
would  lie  upon  them.  But  if  it  were  certain  that 
this  would  be  the  Cafe,  this  Confideration  cannot 
be  a  juft  Reafon  for  our  continuing  to  carry  on  fuch 

a 


t   60   3 

a  wicked  Trade.  If  we  Ihould  not  carry  on  this 
Trade  others  would,  therefore  we  may,  would  be 
a  ftrange  Way  of  reafoning. 

And  as  this  Slave-Trade  has  been  encouraged 
by  the  Government,  for  many  Reigns  back,  it  is 
queried,  whether  the  prelent  Government,  in  cafe 
they  were  to  fet  thofe  Negroes  in  our  Colonies  at 
Liberty,  fhould  not  make  good  that  Lofs  to  their 
Mafters ;  but  I  mall  not  take  upon  me  to  determine 
that  Point;  our  Governors  are  beft  Judges  of  that, 
only  I  think  they  had  better  do  fo,  though  it  fhould 
require  fome  Millions  to  do  it,  than  fuffer  thofe 
poor  Creatures  to  continue  in  the  milerable  State 
of  Slavery  they  are  now  in.  There  is  one  Confe- 
quence  more,  which  fome  People  fear,  would  fol 
low  upon  prohibiting  of  the  Negroe  Trade,  and 
that  is,  that  fuch  a  Prohibition  would  greatly  lefTen, 
if  not  utterly  ruin,  fome  other  confiderablc 
Branches  of  our  Commerce,  efpecially  the  Sugar 
and  the  Tobacco  Trades,  becaufe  of  the  Difficulty 
of  getting  Hands  enough,  in  the  Room  of  the 
Blacks ,  to  work  and  labour  in  thofe  Plantations, 
where  thefe  Commodities  are  produced;  but  this 
can  be  no  real  Objection  againft  what  I  have  aflert- 
ed,  or  in  Juftification  of  the  Man-Trade;  for  if 
this  Trade  be  in  itfelf  one  continued  Scene  of  fuch 
Cruelty  and  Barbarity,  as  it  hath  been  reprefented 
to  be,  it  mull  be  allowed,  that  it  ought  to  be 
ftriclly  prohibited,  let  the  Confequences  of  fuch  a 
Prohibitation  be  what  they  will,  that  none  Ihould 
be  fufFered  to  go  on,  tormenting  and  murdering 
their  Fellow-creatures,  Year  after  Year,  though 
we  were  never  any  more  to  fee  an  Ounce  of  To 
bacco  or  Sugar  in  Great-Britain.  The  Inconveni 
ences,  or  worldly  Difadvantages,  arifing  from  ad 
hering 


E     6 1.     ] 

hering  to  onr  Duty,  and  acting  according  to  the 
moral  Obligations  we  are  under,  let  them  be  ever 
fo  great,  are  of  no  Confideration  at  all  in  the  Eye 
of  Reafon,  nor  can  they  have  any  Weight  with, 
or  Influence  upon  an  honefl,  virtuous  Mind,  when 
fet  againfl  thefe  Obligations. 

The  Author  of  the  Dialogues  on  the  Man-Trade, 
concludes  with  the  following  Addrefs  to  the  Guinea 
Merchants  in  England. 

SIRS, 

AS  the  Bufmefs  you  are  concerned  in,  and 
carry  on  openly  and  publickly  before  the 
World,  has  a  bad  Afpe6l,  and  you  are  fenfible 
that  moil  Men  make  Objections  againft  it,  and 
blame  you  for  engaging  in  it,  you  are  obliged 
to  juftify  it  to  the  World,  upon  the  Principles  of 
Reafon,  Equity  and  Humanity,  to  make  it  ap 
pear,  that  it  is  no  unjufb  Invafion  of  the  Perfbns, 
or  Incroachment  on  the  Rights  of  Men  ^  or  for 
ever  to  lay  it  afide.  And  this  is  what  every  one, 
not  only  of  your  Fellow  Subjects  in  England*  but 
of  your  Fellow  Men  upon  the  Face  of  the  Earth, 
who  are  any  Way  concerned  in  the  fame  Bufinefs, 
have  a  Right  to  infill  upon,  and  demand  from 
you  \  and  ought,  in  a  proper  Manner  to  refent  it, 
if  you  will  do  neither  the  one  nor  the  other. 

But,  laying  afide  the  Refentment  of  Man, 
which  is  but  of  little  or  no  Moment,  in  Com- 
parifon  with  that  of  the  ALMIGHTY,  of  the 
Supreme  Law-giver  and  Judge  of  Mankind,  think 
of  a  future  Reckoning.  Confider  how  you  fhall 
come  off  in  the  great  and  awful  Day  of  Account. 
You  now  heap  up  Riches,  and  live  in  Pleafure? 

but 


{      62      ] 

but  oh!  what  will  you  do  in  the  End 'thereof? 
and  that  is  not  far  off.  What  if  Death  fhould 
feize  upon  you,  and  hurry  you  out  of  this  World, 
under  all  that  Load  of  Blood-guiltinefs,  that  now 
lies  upon  your  Souls.  The  Gofpel  (I  fuppofe  I 
am  now  fpeaking  to  profefied  Chriilians)  exprefly 
declares,  that  Thieves  and  Murderers  Jhall  not  in 
herit  the  Kingdom  of  GOD.  Confider  that  at  the 
feme  Time,  and  by  the  fame  Means  you  now 
treafure  up  worldly  Riches,  you  are  treafuring 
up  to  yourfelves  Wrath,  againft  the  Day  of  Wrath, 
and  Vengeance  that  Jhall  come  upon  the  Workers  of 
Iniquity r,  unlefs  prevented,  by  a  timely  Repentance. 
And  what  greater  Iniquity,  what  Crime  that  is 
more  henious,  that  carries  in  it  more  complicated 
Guilt,  can  you  name,  than  that  in  the  habitual  de 
liberate  Practice  of  which  you  now  live?  Good 
GOD  !  How  can  you,  as  fome  of  you  do,  go  to  the 
Sacrament  of  the  LORD'S  Supper?  How  can  you 
lift  up  your  guilty  Eyes  to  Heaven  ?  How  can  you 
pray  for  Mercy  to  him  that  made  you,  or  hope  for 
any  Favour  from  him  that  formed  you,  while  you 
go  on  thus  grofly  and  openly  to  difhonour  him, 
in  debating  and  deftroying  the  nobleft  Workman- 
ihip  of  his  Hands,  in  this  lower  World  ?  He  is 
the  Father  of  Men ;  and  do  you  think  he  will  not 
refent  fuch  Treatment  of  his  Offspring,  whom  he 
hath  fo  loved,  as  to  give  his  only  begotten  Son,  that 
•whofoever  believeth  in  him,  might  not  perifh,  but  have 
everlafting  Life  ?  This  Love  of  GOD  to  Man,  re 
vealed  in  the  Gofpel,  is  a  great  Aggravation  of 
your  Guilt;  for  if  God  fo  loved  us,  we  ought  alfo  to 
love  one  another.  You  remember  the  Fate  of  the 
Servant,  who  took  Hold  of  his  Fellow-Servant, 
who  was  in  his  Debt,  by  the  Throat,  and  call 

him 


him  into  Priibn:  Think  then*  and  tremble  to 
think,  what  will  be  your  Fate,  who  take  your 
Fellow-Servants  by  the  Throat,  that  owe  you  not 
a  Penny i  and  make  them  Prifoners  for  Life. 

Give  yourfelves  Leave  to  lefleft  impartially  up 
on,  and  confider  the  Nature  of,  this  Man-Trade, 
which,  if  you  do,  your  Hearts  muft  needs  relent, 
if  you  have  not  loft  all  Senfe  of  Humanity,  all  Pi 
ty  and  Companion  towards  thofe  of  your  own  Kind, 
to  think  what  Calamities,  what  Havock  and  De 
finition  among  them,  you  have  been  the  Authors 
of,  for  filthy  Lucre's  Sake. 

GOD  grant  you  may  be  made  fenfible  of  your 
Guilt,  and  repent  in  Time.  And  as  this  is  my 
hearty  and  earned  Prayer  to  GOD  for  you,  I  hope 
you  will  excufe  the  Plain nefs  and  Freedom  of  this 
Addrefs  in  your  fincere  Friend,  who  would  be 
glad  to  do  you  any  Good  that  lies  in  his  Power. 

J.PHILMORE. 


AN  D  now  Reader,  if  from  the  Example  of 
others,  and  without  a  fufficient  Knowledge 
of  the  deplorable  Confequences  attendant 
on  this  Trade,  thou  haft  inadvertently  engaged 
therein,  let  me  befeech  thee,  by  the  Mercies  of 
CHRIST  JESUS  our  LORD  (thofe  Mercies  which, 
perhaps,  e'er  long,  thou  and  I  fliall  defire  to  fly 
to  as  our  only  Refuge)  that  thou  wouldft  refrain  a 
Practice  fo  inconfiftent  with  thy  Duty*  both  as  a 
Chriftian  and  a  Man.  Remember,  the  firft  and 
chief  Commandment  is,  fbou  Jhalt  love  the  Lord 
thy  God  with  all  thy  Heart,  And  that  the  Second 
like  unto  it  is,  Thou  Jhalt  love  thy  Neighbour  as  thy- 

felf. 


[     64     ] 

felf.  That  our  blefled  Redeemer  has  enjoined  u« 
to  do  unto  others  as  we  Would  they  Jhould  do  unto  us-9 
and  that  it  will  be  thofe  who  have  been  righteous 
and  merciful  to  their  Fellow-Creatures,  that  will  be 
intitled  to  the  Mercy  of  the  Great  Judge  of  Hea 
ven  and  Earth,  before  whom  we  muil  all  appear, 
to  give  an  Account  of  the  Deeds  done  in  the 
Body. 

And  as  for  thofe  who  confefs  themfelves  now, 
convinced  of  the  Iniquity,  and  Injuftice  of  buying 
and  felling  their  Fellow-Creatures,  and  yet  conti 
nue  to  keep  thofe  Negrces  they  are  poflefied  of  in 
Bondage,  for  the  Sake  of  the  Profit  arifing  from 
their  Labour,  it  behoves  them  ferioufly  to  confider 
their  Motives  for  fuch  a  Conduct;  whether  the 
Diftin&ion  they  make  between  buying  a  Negroe^ 
and  keeping  the  fame  Negroe,  or  his  Offspring,  in 
perpetual  Bondage,  is  not  a  Plea  founded  more  in 
Words  than  fupported  by  Truth ;  for  it  mufl  be 
obvious  to  every  Perfon,  who  is  not  blinded  by 
the  Defire  of  Gain,  that  the  Right  by  which  thefe 
Men  hold  the  Negroes  in  Bondage,  is  no  other  than 
what  is  derived  from  thofe  who  Hole  them,  who 
having  no  other  Title,  but  that  which  Robbers 
have  over  their  Prey,  could  not  convey  any  better 
to  the  Purchafer;  and  that  therefore  to  continue 
to  hold  them  in  Bondage,  for  worldly  Advantage, 
by  no  other  Right  than  that  which  thofe  guilty 
Men  give  them,  is  confenting  to>  and  partaking 
of  their  Guilt.  Inftances  may  fall  out,  where 
Men  of  Candour  may  be  concerned  in  the  Purchafe 
of  Negroes,  purely  from  a  Principle  of  Charity; 
and  there  are  alfo  many  of  the  Blacks,  amongft  us, 
whofe  Difpofitions,  Infirmities  or  Age,  makes  it 
neceflary  they  ihould  be  under  Care;  but  in  the 

Cafe 


Cafe  beforementioned,  where  Pcrfons  declare 
themfelves  convinced  of  the  Injuflice  and  Iniquity 
of  this  Trade,  and  are  pofTefTed  of  Negroes  who 
are  capable  of  managing  for  themfelves,  and  have 
diffidently  paid,  by  their  Labour,  for  their  Pur- 
chafe  or  bringing  up,  befides  the  Profit  fome  Fa 
milies  have  reaped,  during  a  long  Courie  of  Years, 
from  the  Labour  of  their  Progenitors;  it  is  the 
undoubted  Duty  of  their  Pofleflbrs  to  reflore  them 
their  Liberty ;  and  alfo  to  ufe  all  reafonable  Endea 
vours,  to  enable  them  to  procure  a  comfortable 
Living,  not  only  as  an  Act  of  Juftice  to  the  In 
dividuals,  but  as  a  Debt  due,  on  Account  of  the 
Opprefilon  and  Injuftice  perpetrated  on  them,  or 
their  Anceftors  •,  and  as  the  beft  Means  to  avert 
the  Judgments  of  GOD,  which  it  is  to  be  feared 
will  fall  on  Families  and  Countries,  in  Proportion 
as  they  have,  more  or  lefs,  defiled  themfelves  with 
this  iniquitous  Traffick. 

DOUBTS  mayarife  in  the  Minds  of  fome,  whe 
ther  the  foregoing  Accounts,  relating  to  the 
natural  Capacity  and  good  Difpofition  of  many  of 
the  Inhabitants  of  Guinea^  and  of  the  violent  Man 
ner  in  which  they  appear  to  be  torn  from  their  na 
tive  Land,  is  fufficiently  founded  on  Truth,  as  the 
Negroes  who  are  brought  to  us  are  feldom  heard  to 
complain,  and  do  not  manifeft  that  Docility  and 
Quicknefs  of  Parts  which  might  be  expected  from 
this  Account;  Perions  who  may  make  iiich  Ob 
jections,  .are  defired  impartially  to  confider  whether 
this  is  not  owing  to  the  many  Difcouragements 
thefe  poor  Africans  labour  under,  though  in  an 
enlightened  Chriftian  Country,  and  the  little  Op 
portunity  they  have  of  exerting  and  improving 
their  natural  Talents.  They  are  cpnilaotiy  em- 

I  ployed 


;  f « 

ployed  in  fervile  Labour,  and  the  abject  Conditlort 
in  which  we  fee  them,  from  our  Childhood,  has  a 
natural  Tendency  to  create  in  us  an  Idea  of  a 
Superiority  and  induces  many  to  look  upon 
them  as  an  ignorant  and  contemptible  Part  of 
Mankind ;  add  to  this,  that  they  have  but  little 
Opportunity  of  freely  converfing  with  fuch  of  the 
Whites  as  might  impart  Inftruction  to  them,  the 
endeavouring  of  which  would,  indeed,  by  moft, 
be  accounted  Folly,  if  not  Prefumption.  A 
Fondnefs  for  Wealth,  or  for  gaining  Efteem  and 
Honour,  is  what  prompts  moft  Men  to  the  Defirc 
of  excelling  others,  but  thefe  Motives  for  the  Ex 
ertion  and  Improvement  of  their  Faculties  can 
have  but  little  or  no  Influence  upon  the  Minds  of 
the  Negroes^  few  of  them  having  Hopes  of  attain* 
ing  to  any  Condition  beyond  that  of  Slavery  •,  fo 
that  tho'  the  natural  Capacity  of  many  of  them  be 
ever  fo  good,  yet  they  have  no  Inducement  or  Op 
portunity  of  exerting  it  to  any  Advantage,  which 
naturally  tends  to  deprefs  their  Minds,  and  fink 
their  Spirits  into  Habits  of  Idlenefs  and  Sloth, 
which  they  would,  in  all  Likelihood,  have  been 
free  from,  had  they  ftood  upon  an  equal  Footing 
with  the  white  People :  Neverthelcfs  it  may,  with 
Truth,  be  faid,  that  amongft  thofe  who  have  ob 
tained  their  Freedom,  as  well  as  thofe  who  remain 
In  Servitude,  fome  have  manifefled  as  much  Saga 
city  and  Uprightnefs  of  Heart  as  could  have  been 
expected  from  the  Whites,  under  the  like  Circum- 
ftances  ^  and  if  all  the  free  Negroes  have  not  done 
the  fame,  is  it  a  Matter  of  Surprize  ?  Have  we  not 
Reafon  to  make  Complaint  with  Refpecl  to  many 
of  our  white  Servants,  when  from  under  our  Care, 
tho'  moft  of  them  have  had  much  greater  Advan 
tages 


t  67  ] 

tagesthan  the  Blacks;  who,  even  when  free, 
labour  under  the  Difficulties  before-mentioned, 
having  but  little  Accefs  to,  and  Intercourfe  with, 
the  white  People;  they  yet  remained  confined 
within  the  former  Limits' of  Converfation  with 
thofe  of  their  own  Colour,  and  confequently  have 
but  little  more  Opportunity  of  Knowledge  and 
Improvement  than  when  in  Slavery. 

And  if  they  feldom  complain  of  the  unjuft  and 
cruel  Ufage  they  have  received,  in  being  forced 
from  their  native  Country,  &c.  it  is  not  to  be  won 
dered  at;  as  it  is  a  confiderable  Time  after  their 
Arrival  arnongft  us  before  they  can  fpeak  our  Lan 
guage,  and,  by  the  Time  they  are  able  to  ex- 
prefs  themfelves,  they  cannot  but  obferve,  from 
the  Behaviour  of  the  Whites,  that  little  or  no  No- 
tice  would,  be  taken  of  their  Complaints ;  yet  let 
any  Perfon  enquire  of  thofe  who  had  attained  the 
Age  of  Reafon,  before  they  were  brought  from 
their  native  Land*  and  he  mall  hear  fuch  Relations 
as,  if  not  loft  to  the  common  Feelings  of  Huma 
nity,  will  fenfibly  affect  his  Heart.  The  Cafe  of 
a  poor  Negroe^  not  long  fince  brought  from  Guinea^ 
is  a  recent;  Inftance  of  this  Kind.  From  his  firft 
Arrival  he  appeared  thoughtful  and  dejected,  the 
Caufe  of  which  was  not  known  till  he  was  able  to 
fpcak  Englifh^  when  the  Account  he  gave  of  him- 
felf  was,  that  he  had  a  Wife  and  Children  in  his 
own  Country,  that  fame  of  them  being  fick  and 
thirfly,  he  went,  in  the  Night-time,  to  fetch 
Water  at  a  Spring,  where  he  was  violently  feized, 
and  carried  away  by  fome  Perfons  who  lay  in  Wait 
to  catch  Men,  whence  he  was  tranfported  to  Ame 
rica;  the  Remembrance  of  his  Family,  Friends, 
and  other  Connexions  left  behind,  which  he  never 

expected 


[    68    j 

cxpe&ed  to  fee  any  more,  were  the  principal  Caufes 
ot  his  Dejedion  and  Grief.  Can  any  compafiionate 
Heart  hear  this  Relation  without  being  affected 
with  Sympathy  and  Sorrow?  And  doubtlefs  the 
Cafe  of  many  of  thefe  unhappy  People  would, 
upon  Enquiry,  appear  attended  with  Circum- 
Itances  equally  tragical  and  aggravating.  Now, 
you  that  have  iludied  the  Book  of  Conference,  and 
thofe  that  are  learned  in  the  Law,  what  will  you 
lay  to  this  deplorable  Cafe  ?  When,  and  how,  Jias 
this  Man  forfeited  his  Liberty?  Does  not  Juflice 
loudly  call  for  its  being  reflored  to  him  ?  Has  he 
not  the  fame  Right  to  demand  it  as  any  of  us 
fhould  have,  if  we  had  been  violently  {hatched  t>y 
Pyrates  from  our  native  Land?  Where  Inftances 
of  this  Kind  frequently  occur,  and  are  neither  en 
quired  into,  nor  rrdrefied  by  thofe  whofe  Duty  it 
is  to  feck  'Judgment,  and  relieve  the  Oppreffed^  what 
can  be  expected,  but  that  the  Groans  and  Cries  of 
thefe  Sufferers  will  reach  Heaven;  and  what  jhall 
ye  do  when  GOD  rifeth  up,  and  when  he  vifiteth^ 
what  Jb  all  ye  anfaer  him?  Did  not  he  that  made  them 
make  us,  and  did  not  one  fajhion  us  in  the  Womb?  * 

It 

*  Since  this  Eflay  has  been  under  the  Prefs,  the  Manufcript 
of  a  Voyage  to  the  Coaft  of  Guinea,  has  been  put  in  the  Edi 
tors  Hands;  a  fmall  Extract  of  which  its  thought,  may  be  of 
Service  if  publiihed  here  ;  as  it  contains  a  plain,  tho'  (hocking 
Inftance  of  the  Calamities  and  Bloodfhed  which  the  Slave- 
Trade  oecafions  in  that  Country ;  and  this  principally  carried 
on  at  the  Iniligation  of  tke  Black  Traders,  who  from  their 
Intercourfe  and  Converfe  with  the  European  Factors  have 
learn 'd  to  Hick  at  no  Act  of  Cruelty  to  fatisfy  their  Avarice; 
a  Vice  they  were  generally  untainted  with,  before  their  Ac 
quaintance  with  them.  Thefe  Traders,  if  they  have  no  Stock 

of 


[    69    ] 

\ 

IT  isfcarce  t6  be  doubted  but  that  the  fore 
going  Accounts  will  beget  in  the  Heart  of 
every  confederate  Reader  an  earned  Defire  to 
fee  a  Stop  put  to  this  complicated  Evil;  but 
the  Objection  with  many  is,  what  fhall  be  done 
with  thofe  Negroes  already  imported  and  born  in 
our  Families?  Muft  they  be  fent  to  Africa?  That 
would  be  to  expofe  them  in  a  flrange  Land,  to 
greater  Difficulties  than  many  of  them  labour  un 
der  at  prefent.  To  fet  them  fuddenly  free  here 
would  oe  perhaps  attended  with  no  iefs  Difficulty, 
for  undifciplined  as  they  are  in  Religion  and  Virtue, 
they  might  give  a  looie  tothofc  evij  Habits,  which 
the  Fear  of  a  Matter  would  have  restrained.  Thefe 

are 

of  Slaves  when  the  VefleJs  arrive,  will  foment  and  ftir  up 
Difcords  and  Divisions  amongit  the  Natives,  in  order  to  in 
duce  them  to  make  Incurfions  upon  the  Neighbouring  Dif- 
tri&s,  (fome  of  which  are  but  fmall)  to  procure  Slaves,  which 
they  difpofe  of  to  the  Europeans,  in  Exchange  for  fuch  Com 
modities  as  they  want. 


Ext'raS  of  a  Voyage  to  the  Coajl  of  Guinea  for  Slaws,  &c.  in 
a  VeJJei  from  Liverpool,  Robert  Law,  Mafter,  taken  verba 
tim  from  the  original  Manujcript,  of  the  Surgeens  Journal,  *viz. 


December  the  2Qth,  1724.  No  Trade  to  Day, 
tho'  many  Traders  come  on  board,  they  informed  us 
that  the  People  are  gone  to  War  within  Land,  and  will 
bring  Prifoners  enough  in  two  or  three  Days,  in  Hopes  of 
which  we  ft  ay." 

The  3oth  Day  "     No   Trade  yet,  but  our  Traders  came 

on  board,  to  Day,  and  informed  us,  the  People  had  burn't 

four  Towns  of  their  Enemies;   and    indeed  we   have   feen 

"  great  Smoke  all  the  Morning,  a  good  Way  up  the  Country; 

'  fo  that  To-morrow  we  expeft   Slaves   off  -another 

"  large  Ship  is  juft  come  in  ;  Yeiterday  came  in  a  large  Lon- 

"  dcner." 

The 


C   7°   3 

are  Obje&ions  which  weigh  with  many  well-dif- 
pofed  People ;  and  indeed  it  muft  be  granted  there 
are  Difficulties  in  the  Way ;  nor  can  any  general 
Change  be  made,  or  Reformation  effected  without 
fome :  But  the  Difficulties  are  not  fo  great  but 
that  they  may  be  furmounted.  If  the  Govern 
ment  was  fo  fenfible  of  the  Iniquity  and  Danger 
attendant  on  this  Practice,  as  to  be  willing  to  feek 
a  Remedy,  doubtlefs  the  Almighty  would  blefs  this 
good  Intention,  and  fuch  Methods  would  be 
thought  of  as  would  not  only  put  an  End  to  the 
unjuft  Oppreffion  of  the  Negroes,  but  might  bring 
them  under  fuch  Regulations,  as  would  enable 
them  to  become  profitable  Members  of  Society, 
For  the  furtherance  of  which,  the  following  Pro- 
pofals  are  offered  to  Confideration ;  to  be  improv 
ed  by  thofe  in  whofe  Power  it  is  to  remedy  this 
mighty  Evil  In  the  firft  Place,  that  all  farther 
Importation  be  abfolutely  prohibited.  And  as  to 
thofe  already  purchafed,  or  born  among  us,  after 
ferving  fo  long  as  mall  be  adequate  to  the  Money 
paid,  or  the  Charge  of  bringing  them  up  (which 
may  be  decided  by  Courts  of  Juflice)  let  them  by 
Law  be  declared  free:  Neverthelefs  let  the  fame 
Court  of  Juftice  have  Power  to  lengthen  the  Time 

of 

The  31  ft  "  Fair  Weather,  but  no  Trade,  yet,  we  fee 
"  each  Night  Towns  burning,  but  we  hear  the  Se/iro  Men 
"  are  many  of  them  killed,  by  the  inland  Negroes,  fo  that 
*'  we  fear  this  \Var  will  be  unfuccefsfsl." 

The  2d  January,  "  Laft  Night  we  faw  a  prodigeoas  Fire 
"  break  out  about  eleven  o'Clock,  and  this  Morning,  fee  the 
"  Town  of  Seftro  burn't  down  to  the  Ground  (it  contained 
*'  fome  Hundred  Houfes)  fo  that  we  find  their  Enemies  are 
"  too  hard  for  them  at  prefent,  and  confequently  our  Trade 
*'  fpoiled  here ;  fo  that  about  feven  o'Clock  we  weighed  An- 
"  chor,  as  did  likewife  the  three  other  VefTels  to  proceed 
'*  lower  down." 


r  7* 

of  any  Slave's  Servitude,  upon  legal  proof,  being 
made,  of  that  Slave's  having  wilfully  negle&ed  his 
Duty.     Let  every  Slave  thus  fet  free  be  enrolled 
in  the  County  Court,  and  obliged  to  be  a  Refldent 
during  a  certain  Number  of  Years  within  the  faid 
County,  under  the  Infpe&ion  of  the   Overfeers  of 
the  Poor.     Thus  being  in  fome  Sort  ftill  under  the 
Directions  of  Governors,  and  Notice  of  thofe  who 
were  formerly  acquainted  with  them,  they   would 
be  obliged  to  act  circumfpectly,  and  to  make  a  pro 
per  Ufe  of  their  Liberty,  and  their  Children  have 
an  Opportunity  of  fuch  Inftruction  as  might   be 
provided  for  them,  under   the  Tuition   of  proper 
Inftruclors ;  thus  both  Parents  and  Children  might 
grow  up  to  be  ufeful  Members  of  the  Communi 
ty.     And  further,  where  the  Nature  of  the  Coun 
try  would  permit,   as   certainly  the  uncultivated! 
Condition  of  our  Southern  Colonies  eafily  would  3 
fuppofe  a  fmall  Tract  of  Land,  for  Inftance,  five 
and  twenty  Acres  were  affigned  to  every  Negro 
Family,  and   they  obliged   to  live   upon  and   im 
prove   it  (when  not   hired  out  to  work   for  the 
Whites)  this  would  encourage  them  to  exert  their 
Abilities,  and  become  induitrious  Subjects :  Thus 
both  Planters  and  Tradefmen  would  be  plentifully 
fupplied  with  chearful  and  willing- minded  Labour 
ers  ;  much  vacant  Land  would  be  cultivated ;  the 
Produce  of  the  Country  greatly  encreafed ;  Arts 
and  Manufactures   advanced;  the  Taxes  for   the 
Support  of  Government   leflened  to  Individuals, 
by  the  encreafe  of  Taxables.     And  the   Negroes 
inftead  of  giving  juft  Caufe  of  fearful  Apprehen- 
fions,  and  weakning  the  internal  Strength  of  the 
Government  where  they  refide,  as   they  certainly 

muft 


iiiuft  in  their  prefent  Condition.     *    Would  be* . 
come  interefted  in  its  Security  and  Weltare. 

The  miitaken  Opinion,  which  moft  People  have 
entertained,  that  the  Negroes  in  Africa^  live  in 
the  fame  wild  unfettled  Manner  as  the  American 
Indians  do,  has  led  many  to  thirik  it  impoflible  to 
bring  them  into  that  civilized  Order  which  is  requi- 
lite  for  their  becoming  good  Members  of  Society, 
but,  it  is  hoped,  what  has  already  been  faid  on  that 
Head,  will  convince  the  candid  Reader,  that  this 
Opinion  is  founded  on  miftaken  Apprehenfions; 
and  to  put  this  Matter  in  a  yet  clearer  Light,  it 
may  not  be  andfs  to  add,  that  altho'  amongft  the 
many  Nations  liv;ng  on  that  Part  of  Africa^  inha 
bited  by  the  Negroes,  which  extend  many  Thou- 
fand  Miles,  there  is  doubtlefs  fome  People  of  a 
more  favage  Difpofition  than  others,  yet  certain  it 
is,  that  the  natural  Difpofition  of  the  Generality  of 
the  Negroes  is  widely  different  from  the  roving 
Difpofitions of  our  Indians;  they  generally  fettle 
together,  and  employ  themfelves  in  Agriculture 
and  Commerce.  Some  large  Nations  are  repre- 
fented  as  induftrious  and  careful  in  the  Cultivation 
of  their  Lands-,  breeding  Cattle,  and  carrying  on 
a  Trade  to  diftant  Parts.  An  Inftance  of  this  ap 
pears  from  the  Account  we  have  of  the  principal 
Nations,  fettled  back  of  the  Rectories  of  Goree  and 
Senegal^  Places  of  great  Trade,  in  the  Latitude 
of  1 5  to  20  Degrees  North,  lately  taken  by  the 
JLnglifh  from  the  French ,  from  whence  great  Num 
bers 


*  The  hard  Ufage  the  Negroes  meet  with  in  the  Plantation?, 
and  the  great  Difproportion  between  them  and  the  white  Peo 
ple  ;  will  always  be  a  jufl  Caufe  of  Terror  :  In  Jamaica,  and 
South-Carolina,  it  is  fuppofed  that  there  is  at  leail  fifteen  Blacks 
to  one  White. 


[    73     1 

bers  of  Slaves  have  for  a  long  Time  been  Yearly 
exported  to  the  Plantations.  In  the  2d  Vol.  of  the 
Collection,  we  are  told  that  this  Country,  which  is 
fituate  between  the  River  Senegal  and  Gambia,  and 
extends  many  Hundreds  of  Miles,  is  chiefly  inhabit 
ed  by  three  Negroe  Nations,  viz.  The  Mandigos, 
the  Fully  s,  and  the  Jalofs:  Andrew  Erne,  the  gene 
ral  Director,  often  beforementioned,  fays,  the 
Mandigos  are  difperfed  all  over  the  Country,  they 
are  the  mod  rigid  Mahometans  among  the  Ne 
groes,  *  they  drink  no  Wine  or  Brandy,  and  are 
politer  than  the  other  Negroes  ^  the  chief  Trade  of 
the  Country  goes  thro'  their  Hands  •,  they  are  labo 
rious  and  induftrious,  keeping  their  Grounds  well 
cultivated,  and  breeding  a  good  Stock  of  Cattle. 

Some  of  thefe  People  who  are  fettled,  up 

the  River  Senegal,  carry  on  a  Trade  to  all  the 
neighbouring  Kingdoms  •,  and  by  thefe  Means  amafs 
Riches,  and  propagate  the  Mahometan  Religion 

wherefoever  they  go The  Author  agrees 

they  are  a  good  Sort  of  People,  honed,  induftri 
ous,  and  very  ready  to  learn  Arts  and  Sciences. 

K  The 

*  Jobfon,  in  the  Account  of  his  Travels,  obferves,  "  That 
**  the  Natives  along  the  Gambia,  worihip  the  one  true  and  on- 

"  ly  GOD,  who  they  call  Allah they  have  no  Refem- 

4<  blance  of  Divine  Things,  but  acknowledge  Mabomtt——* 
*'  They  have  fome  broken  Tradition  of  JESUS  CHRIST, 

'*  fpeaking  of  him  as  a  great  Prophet,  who  wrought  many 
"  extraordinary  Miracles." 

The  Mahometan  Negroes  fay  their  Prayes  thrice  a  Day,  at 
Bay-break,  Noon,  and  Sun-fet :  Each  Village  has  a  Prieft 
who  calls  them  to  their  Duty.  It's  furprifing  (fays  the  Au 
thor)  as  well  as  commendable  to  fee  the  Modeity,  Attention 
and  Reverence  they  obferve  during  their  Worfhip,  which 

lafts  half  an  Hour He  was  frequently  prefent  at  their 

Ceremonies,  and  had  often  the  curicfity  to  a&  fome,  of  their 

Priefts 


[    74    ] 

The  Fully's  are  fettled  on  both  Sides  of  the  River 
Senegal-,  their  Country,  which  is  very  fruitful  and 
populous,  extends  near  four  Hundred  Miles  from 
Eaft  to  Wefts  They  are  ordinarily  of  a  deep  tawny 
Complexion,  appearing  to  bear  fome  Affinity  with 
the  Moors,  to  whofe  Country  they  join  on  the 
North.  They  are  a  well  made  People,  and  tho' 
they  feem  tender,  yet  they  will  labour  ftoutly  at 
hard  Work,  are  good  Farmers,  and  make  great 
Harvefts  of  Corn,  Cotton,  Tobacco,  Peafe,  &c. 
and  breed  a  great  Number  of  Cattle  of  all  Kinds 

Brue  fays    the  Company    gets    the  beft 

Hides  from  them.  And  ~Labat  in  his  Account  of 
the  Weft-Indies^  fpeaking  of  the  different  Nations  of 
Negroes  lold  for  Slaves  at  Martinico,  mentions 
thele  Fully  as  a  People  more  fuitable  than  moft 

other 


Prieflsthe  purport  of  their  Prayers  and  Ceremonies ;  their  An* 
fwer  always  was,  "  That  they  adored  GOD  by  projirating  them- 
"  f elves  before  him,  that  by  humbling  themjtlves  they  acknoiv- 
"  ledged  their  oven  Infignificancy'  •  -and  farther  entreated 
"  him  to  forgive  their  Faults,  and  to  grant  them  all  good  and 
"  necejfary  Things,  as  well  as  deliverance  from  Evil.*'  The 
Mandtgo  Priefts  are  much  more  Polite  than  the  other  Negroes, 

and  love  Traffic In   which   they   are   very  honelt,  buc 

exacT:   and  artful :  They  are  very  charitable  and  kind  to  one 

another Jelfon  takes  notice  of  feveral   good   Qualities 

in   thefe    Negroe    Priefts,    particularly    their   great   Sobriety 

. They  gain  their  Livelihood  by  keeping  School, 

for     the     Education   of    the     Children The 

Boys  are  taught  to  read  and  write  by  a  Book  made  of  a  fmooth 
Bit  of  Wood,  wherein  the  Leflbns  are  written  with  a  Kind  of 
black  Ink,  and  a  Pen  like  a  Pencil.  They  not  only  teach 
Schools  but  rove  about  the  Country,  teaching  and  iclirucling 
for  which  the  whole  Country  is  open  to  them  ;  and 
they  have  free  recourfe  thro'  all  Places,  however  the  Kings 
may  be  at  War  together. 


[    75    ] 

other  Negroes  to  take  care  of  Cattle,  &c.  J  Some 
of  thefe  Fully  Blacks,  who  dwell  on  both  Sides  the 
River  Gambia  are  in  Subjection  to  the  Mandigos^ 
amongfl  whom  they  have  fettled  from  Time  to 
Time  •,  having  been,  probably,  driven  out  of  their 
own  Country  by  War  or  Famine.  They  have 
Chiefs  of  their  own,  who  rule  with  much  Modera 
tion.  They  live  in  Clans,  build  Towns,  and  are 
not  fubject  to  any  Kings  of  the  Country,  though 
they  live  in  their  Territories-,  for  if  they  are  ill- 
treated  by  one  Nation,  they  break  up  their  Town 
and  remove  to  another.  They  are  alfo  drift  Ma 
hometans,  few  amongft  them  will  drink  Brandy,  or 
any  Thing  Itronger  than  Water  and  Sugar :  Their 
Form  of  Government  goes  on  eafy,  becaufe  the 
People  are  of  a  good  cjuiet  Difpofmon,  and  fo  well 
inftructed  in  what  is  juft  and  right,  that  a  Man 
who  does  ill  is  the  Abomination  of  all,  and  none 
will  fupport  him  againit  the  Chiefs.  In  thefe 
Countries  the  Natives  are  not  covetous  of  Land, 
defiring  no  more  than  what  they  ufe  •,  and  as  they 
do  not  plough  with  Horfes  and  Cattle,  they  can 
life  but  very  little,  therefore  the  Kings,  are  willing 
to  give  the  Fully*  s  leave  to  live  in  their  Countries, 
and  cultivate  Lands.  They  plant  Tobacco  near 
.their  Houfes,  and  Cotton  all  round  their  Towns; 
.which  they  fence  in  together-,  beyond  that  they 
low  Indian  and  Guinea  Corn  and  Rice :  As  they  arc 
induftrious  and  frugal,  they  have  more  Com  and 
Cotton  than  they  continue,  which  they  fell  at  rea- 
.fonable  Rates:  Their  Clothing  is  of  white  Cotton 

of 

1  Thofe  Negroes  that  were  brought  laft  Year  up  this  River, 
and  fold  on  the  Jerjey  Shore,  oppoiite  this  City,  woe  probab 
ly  of  the  Fully  Nation,  as  the  Vcffcl  came  from  the  River 
Seneral. 


[    76     1 

6f  their  own  Manufadure :  They  are  a  clean  Peo 
ple,  efpecially  the  Women.  As  they  are  hofpita- 
ble  and  kind  to  all,  it  is  reckoned  a  Bleffing  to 
have  a  Fully  Town  in  the  Neighbourhood :  They 
never  fuffer  any  of  their  own  Nation  to  want, 
but  fupport  the  Old,  the  Blind,  and  the  Lame  •, 
and  as  far  as  their  Abilities  goes  fupply  theNecefii- 
ties  of  the  Mandigos,  great  Numbers  of  whom  they 
have  maintained  in  Famines.  They  are  rarely  an 
gry,  and  the  Author  could  never  hear  them  abufe 
one  another. 

In  the  Collection,  we  have  alfo  a  favorable  Ac 
count  of  the  Conduct  and  Difpofition  of  a  Num 
ber  of  free  Negroes  fettled  on  the  Cape  F^Iflands. 
The  Account  is  principally  taken  from  the  Wri 
tings  of  George  Roberts^  who  was  Shipwreck'd  on 
one  ofthofe  Iflands-,  they  are  ten  in  Number,  the 
largeft  called  St.  Jago,  is  fettled  by  the  Pcrtuguefe^ 
the  reft  are  moftly  inhabited  by  Negroes  or  Mulat- 
toes,  which  our  Author  fays  happened  in  the  fol 
lowing  Manner,  viz.  "  The  Portugitefe  fettled  on 
"  the  two  largeft  Iflands,  provided  themfdves 
"  with  Negroe- Slaves  from  Guinea  to  do  their 
"  Work ;  and  as  it  was  ufual  with  them  to  atone 
"  for  their  Sins  on  their  Death-bed,  by  giving  one 
"  or  more  Slaves  -their  Freedom,  thefe  Free- 
"  Blacks,  being  in  a  Climate  natural  to  them,  in- 
tc  creafed  faft;  many  became  Tenants  to  the 
"  Whites,  others  not  brooking  their  lordly  and 
"  bppreffive  Deportment,  went  over  to  the  lefTer 
"  IQands.  Thefe  lefler  Idands  having  been  bef- 
<c  towed  by  the  King  to  fome  of  his  Nobles: 
"  They  appoint  deputy  Governors,  who  are  gene- 
<c  rally  Negroes."  Their  Friefts  are  alfo  Negroes, 
who  (Roberts  fays)  <<  make  better  and  foberer 

i6  Clergymen 


[    77    1 

"  Clergymen  than  the  Whites,  thefe  being  moftly 
"  of  loofe  and  vicious  Lives,  which  caufed  the 
"  Bifhop,  who  was  a  Man  of  a  meek  and  mild 
"  Difpofition,  to  prefer  the  Blacks  with  no  more 
"  Education  than  what  they  could  have  at  St. 
"  Jago.  This  (adds  the  Author)  was  a  commen- 
"  dable  Practice  of  the  Bifhop-,  who  met  with  a 
"  great  deal  of  Trouble  on  that  Account,  from 
"  the  Fryars,  who  made  a  Practice  of  ridiculing 
"  the  Ignorance  of  thefe  Negroe-Priefts."  The 
Portuguese  Inhabitants  of  thofe  Iflands  are  faid  (in 
the  Collection)  to  bear  but  a  poor  Character,  being 
generally  reprefented  as  a  proud,  lazy,  ignorant 
People;  but  on  the  Contrary,  the  Free-Negroes, 
who  are  much  the  greateft  Number,  are  faid  to  be 
moftiy  an  innocent  good  tempered  People.  Roberts 
(peaks  particularly  well  of  the  Black  Governor  of 
Bonavifta,  and  of  Captain  Domingo^  a  fenfible 
Black  on  that  Ifland,  who  was  a  fair  Dealer,  and 
could  read  French  and  Englijh.  The  Governor, 
Pried  arid  People  ot  the  Ifland  of  Mayo,  were  all 
Negroes,  tho'  being  fubject  to  the  Portuguefe,  they 

ha"d  their  Religion  and  Language— —Captain 

Dampier,  who  was  on  this  Ifland  many  Years  before 
Roberts^  fays,  "  The  Governor  had  his  Patent 
"  from  the  Governor  of  St.  Jago\  that  the  Negro 
"  who  held  that  Office  in  the  Year  169.9  was  a  ve" 
"  ry  civil,  fenfible  Man,  and,  adds,  that  the  In- 
"  habitants  were  generally  a  good  Sort  of  People,  * 

that 

*  "  Dampier  exprefTes  his  Concern  at  the  Abufe  thefe  poor 
"  People  had  received  from  the  Crew  of  a  Briftol  Veflel,  who 
**  going  Aftiore  under  pretence  of  Friendfliip,  feized  on  the 
"  Governor,  with  fome  others,  and  carrying  them  on  board, 
"  made  them  fend  to  Land  for  Cattle  to  ranfom  their  Liber- 
"  ties:  Yet  after  this  failed  away  with  them,  andpoifibly,  fays 
«  the  Author,  never  brought  them  again. 


[     78     ] 

*'  that  they  looked  well,  being  fat  and  flefhy, 
"  tho*  the  Ifland  appears  fo  barren  to  a  Stranger, 
"  as  fcarce  to  have  Food  for  its  Inhabitants." 
The  Ifland  upon  which  Roberts  was  Shipwreck'd 
was  called  St.  John-,  it  was  wholly  inhabited  by 
Blacks,  he  fays,  that  tho'  very  ignorant  and  fuper- 
ilitious,  yet  they  were  the  moil  innocent  and  harm- 
lefs  of  all  thofe  Iflanders.  He  fpeaks  highly  of 
their  moral  Virtue,  efpecially  their  Chanty,  Hu 
mility  and  Hofpitality :  He  particularly  commends 
their  Veneration  for  Age.  While  he  lay  fick  he 
was  lodged  by  one  of  the  chief  Inhabitants,  and 
fupplied  with  all  kind  of  NecefTaries :  Every  Day 
fome  or  other  would  come  to  fee  how  he  did,  and 
fcarce  ever  without  a  Fowl,  or  fome  Fruit  for  him : 
They  Ihewed  him  great  Kindnefs  in  every  other 
Refpect,  and  freely  afiifted  him  in  building  a  fmall 
Vellel  to  carry  him  off  the  Ifland,  when  lie  talked 
of  making  them  a  Return  for  thefc  Favours,  they 
faid,  they  were  glad  they  had  been  of  any  Service 
to  him,  and  thought  it  their  Duty  to  ferve  Strangers 
in  Diflrefs. 

Upon  the  Whole,  of  what  has  been  faid,  it  muil 
appear  to  every  honeft  unprejudiced  Reader,  that 
the  Negroes  are  equally  intituled  to  the  common 
Priviledges  of  Mankind  with  the  Whites,  that  they 
have  the  fame  rational  Powers;  the  fame  natural 
Affedtions,  and  are  as  fufceptible  of  Pain  and 
Grief  as  they,  that  therefore  the  bringing  and 
keeping  them  in  Bondage,  is  an  Inilance 
of  Oppreflion  and  Injuftice  of  the  mofb  grie-. 
ous  Nature,  fuch  as  is  fcarcely  to  be  paral- 
lelled  by  any  Example  in  the  prefent  or  former 
Ages.  Many  of  its  woful  Effects  have  already 
been  exprefled,  but  thofe  which  more  particularly 

calls 


t    79    ] 

calls  for  the  Notice  and  Redrefs  of  the  Govern 
ment,  arifes  from  its  inconfiftancy  with  every 
Thing  that  is  juft  and  humane,  whence  the  worft 
Effects  naturally  flow  to  the  Religion  and  Morals 
of  the  People  where  it  prevails.  Its  deftructive 
Confequences  to  labouring  People,  and  Trade£- 
men  is  no  lefs  worthy  the  Attention  of  thofe  who 
have  Inclination  and  Power  to  ferve  their  Country. 
This  Rank  of  People,  as  they  are  the  chief  Strength 
and  Support  of  a  Community;  fo  their  Situation 
and  Welfare  calls  for  the  particular  Care  of  every 
prudent  Government  -,  but  where  Slave-keeping 
prevails,  their  Places  and  Services  being  fupplied 
by  the  Negroes,  they  find  themfelves  flighted,  dif- 
regarded,  and  robbed  of  the  natural  Oppertuni- 
ties  of  Labour  common  in  other  Countries,  where 
by  they  are  much  difcouraged  and  their  Families 
often  reduced  to  Want :  To  which  may  be  added 
the  Difcouragement  alfo  given  by  this  Trade  to  many 
poor  People,  that  can  fcarce  get  Bread  in  our  Mo 
ther  Country,  who,  if  not  prevented,  on  Account 
of  the  great  Number  of  Negroes,  would  be  likely 
to  come  over  into  the  Colonies  where  they  might, 
with  Eafe,  procure  to  themfelves  a  more  comfor 
table  Living  than  at  Home.  Another  direful  Ef 
fect  arifes  from  the  fearful  Apprehenfions  and 
Terrors  which  often  feize  the  Minds  of  the  People, 
for  the  SupprefTion  of  which  the  moil  cruel  Me 
thods  are  purfued,  fuch  as  are  indeed  a  Reproach 
to  Chriftianity,  and  will  by  Degrees  harden  the 
Hearts  of  thofe  who  are  active  therein,  fo  as  totally 
to  exclude  them  from  that  Tendernefs  and  Sym 
pathy  for  the  Sufferings  of  their  Fellow  Creatures, 
which  conflitutes  the  Happinefs  of  Society,  and  is 
the  Glory  of  intelligent  Beings.  As  for  the  Pof- 

feifors 


C    80    ] 

feffors~  of  the  Negroes  themfelves,  though  the 
Sumptuoufnefs  and  Eafe  in  which  they  live,  and 
the  Attendance  and  Obfequioufnefs  of  their  Slaves, 
may  raife  in  their  Minds  an  imagined  Apprehenfi- 
on  of  their  being  Perfpns  more  happy,  and  of 
greater  Importance  than  other  People,  who  do  live 
in  the  like  Affluence  and  State -,  yet  happy  would 
it  be  if  they  were  fenfible  how  great  is  their  Mif- 
take,  and  could  be  perfuaded  ferioufly  to  confi- 
der  and  apply  the  Parable  of  the  rich  Man  and 
poor  Lazarus,  mentioned  by  our  SAVIOUR,  where 
by  they  might  plainly  perceive  that  they  have  no 
Caufe  to  exult,  becaufe  of  their  Power  and  Plenty, 
but  have  rather  Occafion  to  mourn  over  themfelves, 
their  Children,  and  their  Country;  the  natural 
Effect  of  their  Situation  being  fuch  as  has  been  re 
peatedly  obferved.  "  To  fill  Men  with  Haughtinefs, 
"  Tyranny,  Luxury  and  Barbarity,  corrupting  ths 
*'  Minds,  and  debqfing  the  Morals  of  their  Children, 
"  to  the  unfpeakable  Prejudice  of  Religion  and  Virtue, 
<c  and  the  Exclufion  of  that  holy  Spirit  of  univerfal 
"  Love,  Meeknefs  and  Charity,  which  is  the  unchan- 
"  geable  Nature  and  Glory  of  true  Chriftianity. 


FINIS. 


ERRATA 

:T   Page  37,  Line  2d,  for  unties  read  unites. 
At  Page  56,  Line   2?thofthe  Note,  for 
human   read  humane. 


A 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


120oc'6JJM 


LD  21A-50m-8,'61 
(Cl795slO)476B 


Gene. 
University 


Manufactured  by 
AYLORD  BROS.  Inc. 
Syracuse,  N.  Y. 
Stockton,  Calif. 


M323587 


